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Chef Salvo Lo Castro’s resume is truly a journey. The Italian-born chef has cooked all up and down the peninsula, from firing the burners at the three Michelin-starred Enoteca Pinchiorri to manning the kitchen of the five-star hotel San Domenico Palace in Sicily’s Taormina region. But perhaps the most stunning of them all in this CV flex: For over a decade, chef Castro spent his time as a private chef for the Vatican, preparing meals for both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.
As of 2022, the chef moved stateside to introduce New Yorkers to the way that coffee should be consumed with the opening of CASASALVO. Made the Italian way, his four cafes sell espressos, Americanos and cappuccinos at the low price of $2.51. Continuing to cater and work as a private chef on the side, Castro decided it was time to break out on his own, opening his first NYC restaurant in SoHo.
As of July 20, chef Castro’s restaurant, also named CASASALVO, is now open on 195 Spring Street. The restaurant reads like an elevated neighborhood find with a dining room marked by crisp white tablecloths, Italian walnut paneling and lemon and olive trees that frame the whole thing. The illuminated onyx bar comes fully stocked with over 350 wines for the choosing, sourced from the reaches of Italy and France to New Zealand. But if you are more of a cocktail stan, you can take to the terrace facing Spring Street, as the streetside bar is dedicated to the one and only Aperol Spritz.
The menu explores Castro’s Italian and Mediterranean influences with starters that include truffle-topped beef carpaccio and deconstructed Mediterranean salad with blocks of feta. However, the meatballs may be his most personal, as the dish takes a page from his mother’s kitchen.
Pastas and risottos travel all around Italy: Think bowls of paccheri with guanciale and pistachios, and Carnaroli rice with parmigiano crema and summer truffle. From the sea, Dover sole is cooked in a tomato sauce and garnished with mint, while the whole branzino comes with a touch of flair, getting deboned tableside. All meats are cooked over charcoal, including the filet mignon, Colorado lamb chop and house ossobuco. And on the sweet's menu alongside seasonal fruits, eclairs and gelatos, one dessert clearly nods to his time in America: a hot apple pie with a scoop of ice cream.