Dining at Alicia Keys Favorite NYC Eatery!

By Samantha von Sperling | July 23, 2013 | Lifestyle, Travel

What happens when you put three childhood friends from Queens together and give them a space on a bustling corner in HellΓÇÖs Kitchen, New York City? You get Puttanesca, the Italian eatery that is a home-away-from-home for Alicia Keys.

It had been 20 years since Puttenesca got a true upgrade, though the restaurant did add a private dining room a few years back. So when the restaurant closed down suddenly in early spring, without a warning, it drove local patrons absolutely batty. “Most people leave a message that they are under renovation and coming back, we didn’t do any of that. That made them even more crazy for us to return,” we were told.

The private dining space is gone, and has been transformed into a large, airy, modern and expansive bar area with top-of-the-line wine storage units, the perfect spot for happy hour any day of the week. Puttanesca’s dining area is still warm and cozy with rustic touches and the eatery iconic chandeliers which can be seen while walking past its floor-to-ceiling windows.

We enjoyed a nice Montepulciano wine while tasting some of PuttnescaΓÇÖs signature dishes, including Herbed Chicken Paillard paired with baby arugula, cherry tomato and red onion; homemade pizzas and pastas; and of course, scrumptious desserts.

Make your way to Puttanesca, and tell Alicia we said hi!