Fresh Picks

The celebrated restaurateur—and daughter of the Rainbow Room’s former owner—tells us what she’s loving right now.

Marisa May

Born and raised a New Yorker, Marisa May spent her summers on the coast of Naples and the island of Capri, learning firsthand about the hospitality and cuisine of Italy. Working alongside her father, venerable and celebrated restaurateur Tony May, then-owner/operator of New York’s Rainbow Room, Marisa first began answering phones and taking reservations in high school. After graduating from New York University in 1993, she became general manager at Tony May’s San Domenico NY. For 15 years, Marisa May's welcoming personality was known as the secret behind the celebrated service in the San Domenico NY dining room. Now, as the co-owner of SD26, she brings her experience, charm, and unique combination of attentive New York service and traditional Italian courtesy back to the New York City restaurant scene.

Recipe

This is the season for panettone and it makes the perfect breakfast pairing to my morning cappuccino!

This recipe for panettone reminds me of the panettone that I love to make this time of year. Packed with raisins, candied fruit, and vanilla, the smell and taste of this Italian Christmas cake brings back warm memories from my childhood and Christmas mornings with my family. This is the season for panettone and it makes the perfect breakfast pairing to my morning cappuccino!

Restaurant

Don Alfonso 1890 Restaurant in Italy is my favorite restaurant in the world.

Don Alfonso 1890 Restaurant and Relais in Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi, Italy, between Sorrento and the Sorrentien Peninsula on the Amalfi Coast, is my favorite restaurant in the world. My grandmother is from Naples so I spent every summer of my childhood traveling between Capri, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast. I crave their delicious Ravioli di Caciotta al Pomodorino e Basilico. The ravioli is made with flour and water (no eggs), filled with caciotta cheese (made with sheep's milk), seasoned with fresh marjoram and then lightly dressed with chopped tomatoes and basil. I wish that the restaurant wasn’t as far away, but it makes for a memorable treat whenever I am able to go.

Cookbook

I can make one recipe that will feed me for days from Cesare Casella’s book of Tuscan recipes.

True Tuscan: Flavors and Memories from the Countryside of Tuscany by Cesare Casella. This cookbook is my favorite for the cold winter season. I love Cesare’s warm, rustic, and hearty recipes like Potato and Egg Frittata, Fried Chicken with Fried Herbs, and Homemade Pinci Pasta in Walnut-Anchovy Sauce. I can make one recipe that will feed me for days! This book is my go-to for comfort food, which is exactly what I want to eat this time of year when I’m not at SD26.

Food Destination

If I could vacation anywhere, I would go to the Riviera Maya in Mexico.

I don’t usually vacation this time of year. But, if I could vacation to anywhere in the world, I would go to the Riviera Maya at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Mexico. That would be my perfect getaway: white sand beaches, turquoise colored water, drinking margaritas and eating salsa, chips, and guacamole!

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