Call it a candy store for meat lovers, as a fellow diner did Thursday night. Midtown's newest (and only) trattoria/salumi shop Salumeria 104 doesn't open until Monday, but we were lucky enough to get a sneak preview. And make no mistake, the place is all about the pig, with melt-in-your mouth prosciutto, sugary sauteed guanciale, salami galore, and slabs of meat even hanging from the ceiling.
From chef/owner Angelo Masarin, a Treviso native who's put in work at Casa Tua, Sardinia Enoteca, and Cecconi’s, Salumeria 104 is primarily a restaurant, but they're also happy to slice away for home or sandwich -- on a hand-cranked slicer, of course, because heat from an electric blade could add a burned flavor to all that the glorious meat. (Really, this is serious science.)
The main attractions at Salumeria 104 will be heaping plates of meats and cheeses, which can be mixed and matched at $3 and up. We tried one Parmigiano Reggiano so rare Salumeria is the only place in Florida that even carries it, and briefly floated away on a considerable and unkillable cheese high. But there's plenty more on the menu as well, including salads sources from Paradise Farms ($5-$8), pasta from spaghetti to cavatello ($13-$15, and big plates including breaded pork chops, slow-cooked salt cod stew, spare ribs, calf liver, and roasted pork loin wrapped in crispy pork belly ($16-$20).
Masarin seemed particularly proud of his gnocchi romano, a housemade semolina gnocchi with Parmesan and crispy prosciutto. "If you don't like it," he laughed, "you can get out." (Our response: a request for seconds.)
Take a sneak peek inside Salumeria 104, which opens Monday, December 19 -- and go ahead and browse the menu.
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