Santi — Review by Sonny Side
New York, United States — Italian Fine Dining
Chef White's $126 Coniglio al Forno at Santi is a masterpiece of high-end Italian cuisine featuring deboned rabbit filled with rabbit sausage and served with fresh handmade capellacci pasta and liver vinaigrette. The dish exemplifies how traditional peasant food can be elevated to fine dining while maintaining authenticity and exceptional quality. The succulent texture, perfect pasta, and intricate preparation showcase 37 years of culinary expertise.
What was great: Exceptional handmade fresh pasta with outstanding texture, succulent rabbit meat despite its lean nature, beautifully executed classical Italian preparation, crispy skin on the rabbit, rich rabbit ragu filling, expert craftsmanship and attention to detail
What could improve: Nothing mentioned
The Dishes
The main event is the Coniglio al Forno, a $126 oven-baked rabbit dish that serves two. Chef White sources premium rabbits from Pennsylvania that are raised to run freely and eat quality vegetables, resulting in younger, more tender meat than typical store-bought varieties. The rabbit is meticulously deboned, with the legs transformed into a sausage filling seasoned with salt and pepper. The deboned rabbit body itself serves as the casing for this sausage, creating an elegant preparation that appears deceptively simple but requires masterful execution.
The rabbit is wrapped with Swiss chard as a protective barrier, then seared on all sides before roasting in the oven. While the rabbit rests, Chef White prepares a dressing from the rabbit's liver and kidneys, which are sautéed with butter and rosemary, then minced and mixed with parsley, olive oil, and vinegar to create a bright vinaigrette. The dish is plated with baby pea shoots and this liver dressing.
Accompanying the rabbit is the capellacci, a fresh handmade pasta shaped like an old peasant's hat and stuffed with rich rabbit ragu. The pasta itself, never dried or rehydrated, has an outstanding texture that distinguishes it from typical American pasta. The filling is a refined ragu puree that incorporates primo ragu dajano, reminiscent of authentic Emilia-Romagna preparations but elevated to fine dining standards.
The Experience
The experience at Santi represents the pinnacle of upscale Italian fine dining in Manhattan. Chef White, a Wisconsin-born chef with 37 years of cooking experience and six Michelin stars to his name, has created a restaurant that is the culmination of decades spent studying Italian cuisine. He trained extensively in Emilia-Romagna and regularly visits Italy during his days off to study at different restaurants and butchers. This dedication to craft is evident in every element of the dish presented.
Value and Pricing
At $126 for a dish serving two, this represents the expensive end of the spectrum in the video's exploration of New York Italian cuisine. However, the price reflects the premium quality of ingredients, the extensive preparation time (the dish required 3 hours of practice to perfect), and the expertise of an internationally recognized chef. The use of carefully sourced Pennsylvania rabbit, fresh handmade pasta, and intricate deboning and preparation techniques justify the investment for those seeking high-end Italian dining.
Notable Moments
You're paying for the innocence. Yes. The sparkle in the eye that costs extra.
This exchange humorously captures the reality that younger animals command premium prices in fine dining. Another memorable moment involves the revelation that Chef White is Norwegian and from Wisconsin, not Italian, yet became passionate about Italian fine dining after working at Spiachro in 1985 and subsequently immersing himself in Italian food culture.
Most Italian food is peasant food and rabbit is going to be really authentic preparation of this dish or would this be more of a premium high-end fine dining take on this dish? Well, both.
Chef White's response elegantly captures how authentic peasant dishes can be elevated to fine dining without losing their essence.
The Verdict
Santi's Coniglio al Forno is a testament to what happens when traditional Italian cooking meets decades of refinement and expertise. The dish is genuinely delicious, with succulent, tender rabbit that defies expectations about lean meats being dry, perfectly executed fresh pasta, and thoughtful preparation of every component including the offal-based vinaigrette. The reviewer notes particular appreciation for the texture and technical excellence, especially considering that the entire preparation uses 100% rabbit with no pork added for extra fat. This restaurant is best for those seeking authentic, elevated Italian cuisine prepared by a chef who has dedicated his life to mastering the craft. It represents fine dining at its most elegant and is a must-visit for serious food enthusiasts in New York City.