Gigino at Wagner Park
Labor Day may have come and gone but you need not to bid farewell to summer culinary fare and perfect oudoor perches from which to enjoy the city’s most comely attractions just yet. In fact if you have not yet been to Gigino’s this summer, then it’s a must. Apart from breathtaking views of Liberty Island, Gigino’s at Wagner Park offers a wide menu of popular and innovative Italian dishes that are prepared in a way that highlight the genuine flavors of their ingredients.
On my most recent visit, I shared a delicious Meditteranean antipasto, which had a profusion of vegetables and a calamari salad that really stood out. Bursting with mussels, little necks and baby squid, the risotto pescatora that I ordered was seasoned just right in a light tomato broth that was pleasantly perfumed by the freshness of the seafood. The generously poured glass of aromatic grechetto that I drank with it was a good choice in that it provided a compliment to the seafood that was bold without being overpowering.
Although the wait staff was overwhelmed by the enormous crowd that a non-muggy night in August will generate, it was polite, competent and neither rushed, nor pushy. I was pleasantly impressed by this especially since the restaurant was packed to the hilt with tourists and locals celebrating birthdays. While it may not have boasted the greatest knowledge, it seemed committed to delivering customer-satisfaction.
Gigino’s is not just mooching off the gorgeousness of New York Harbor, it boasts fine culinary merits and truly modest prices for what you get. While I wouldn’t be as apt to get there in the winter months, just because its indoor seating alternative seems quite vanilla by comparison - and the city offers such a vast and vibrant landscape of fine restaurants - I do definitely make a point of going there to give the perfect ending to a beautiful day spent strolling along the Hudson. This is clearly a place to treat yourself to in summer and to put on your list of places to bring your out of town guests.
One relatively minor thing that could easily be improved upon at Giginos is the post-sunset lighting. Either the table tea votives need to be upgraded to small lanterns or the table umbrellas need to be folded and removed at dusk in order to make reading the menu possible without straining the eyes.
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