In the Big Apple (and beyond), contradictions in the world of fine dining abound, but this one, in particular, continues to baffle clients and admirers alike: why doesn’t Sistina have Michelin stars?
In 2020, we told the deserving story of chef patron Giuseppe Bruno, owner of Sistina and Caravaggio, the two ultra-chic restaurants on the Upper East Side that have become a true Italian institution in New York. Specifically, Sistina is known among gourmands as a refined dining experience, especially for the presence of one of the most prestigious cellars globally, as well as for service and cuisine of equal caliber. Today, after another visit, we narrate this establishment as a phenomenon and contradiction worth pondering: it's strange and rare that a restaurant like Sistina has not received any Michelin stars or at least a mention until now.
The venue
If an elegant 19th-century building on the Upper East Side, a stone's throw from the Metropolitan Museum and Central Park, with marble columns and capitals at the entrance, is not art in itself, the furnishings and tableware inside the Sistina-owned structure certainly are. In fact, Caravaggio and Sistina are among the most art-rich restaurants in New York: paintings and drawings by Matisse and Mirò, walls decorated by famous American painters like Donald Beachler and Ellsworth Kelly, more paintings by Donald Beachler, works by Frank Stella – an American artist who made geometric compositions his distinctive trait – and countless pieces by Sandro Chia. The collection itself is of inestimable value.
"Art has always been a great passion of mine. I've met many tremendous artists. New York hosts various prominent museums, especially the Metropolitan, which is literally steps away from here. Often, after exhibitions and shows, many people from the industry come to eat in my restaurants. So I became friends with Sandro Chia, and now my walls feature numerous works of his. Combining art with cuisine was for me a simple, ironically almost ordinary, undoubtedly instinctive, necessary, and ultimately successful choice. For me, dining is conceived as an experience, with the intrinsic and unspoken obligation to make you feel emotions. Art is one of my keys to creating this unique atmosphere. Art is my true, great ally," Bruno tells us.
It's no coincidence that scenes from some famous movies and series, starting with The Undoing with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, were filmed in the halls of Sistina. But we don't stop at architecture or paintings and sculptures. The tables at Sistina are also works of art. Sumptuous mise en place, where the various Ginori collections purchased by the chef to amaze his super guests take center stage. Bruno's favorite is the Galli Rossi collection, but it competes with collections like Oro di Doccia, Italian Fruit, Oro Nero, Pesci Leipold, and many others used daily to highlight the gastronomic offerings.
The service
As mentioned, the mise en place at Sistina is excellent, and this is largely due to the service – carried out with skill by a staff of about 120 people. "I consider my team as my family. That's why, during the pandemic, even though we weren't making money, I continued to pay everyone's full salary. Now I can openly boast about this choice: I'm one of the few restaurants in the city that has safeguarded and kept its team intact. Everyone stayed; we were and still are a family. On the other hand, I have a demanding attitude towards my collaborators." "I try to give my best, and I expect the best from them. Machiavelli said that to become great, a prince should not surround himself with mercenaries, but with allies," says Giuseppe. The service in the dining room is elegant and discreet but always present, ready to respond to every need of the diner.
The guests
Everyone, arriving at Sistina, starts with, "I've been told that one eats well here. Who is Giuseppe?" Another story involves Robert De Niro, who over the years has become a close acquaintance of Giuseppe: "He comes here often. We're friends. One evening he ordered a bottle of collectible Barolo. I don't remember the vintage, but it was a truly precious wine. As usual, the next day, I sent the bill to the secretary. She called, complaining about the cost of the bottle. I called Bob and told him he had offended me. He apologized. Since then, a friendship has lasted for years," recalls the chef.
Regulars at Sistina include influential New Yorkers, but the precious dining room has hosted countless artists, actors, singers, ambassadors, politicians, bankers, even international ones. Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, once had his private jet wait on the ground for 2 hours with the goal of securing the dishes Giuseppe had prepared instead of the airport catering. In the tables of Sistina, deals have been closed, companies and marriages born, and billion-dollar agreements made. Trump visited in the 1980s when he was building his first Tower on Fifth Avenue, along with Bill Clinton, Michelle Obama, Chuck Schumer, Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher, and Antony Blinken. Among the businessmen, besides Larry Fink, there's John Mack (former CEO of Morgan Stanley), Fabrizio Freda (CEO of Estée Lauder). Among the artists/directors/singers, apart from De Niro, there are William Goldman, Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney, George Clooney, Barbara Walters, Steve Martin, Martin Scorsese, Michelle Pfeiffer, Woody Allen, Pierce Brosnan, and many others.
The cuisine
But what is Chef Giuseppe Bruno's cuisine like? "I've been living this life for over 40 years. I finish late at night and wake up at dawn to go to the market and choose the best seasonal ingredients. I do it every day. Then I take care of some bureaucratic things, finally the meeting with my team to decide the recipes and set the menu for the day," Bruno proudly tells us and adds, "I'm here 15 hours out of 24, but I do it with passion." The menu is, therefore, "tailor-made" based on the tastes of customers, and often Giuseppe offers special dishes created on the spot to satisfy the preferences and dietary restrictions of each. Giuseppe is, in fact, a "Renaissance restaurateur": he doesn't settle for being in the kitchen but listens to his clientele, going out to the dining room and conversing with guests.
It's true that, unlike many starred restaurants, Sistina does not currently offer a tasting menu (there's the idea of introducing it on the second floor of the venue for private events), but this is a decision due to the fact that many customers, now loyal, eat here two or three times a week and don't want to order 12 courses in one go: they prefer one or two dishes but done properly. Giuseppe is not just a chef; he is also an advisor to his clients. "The products I use are all strictly Italian and of the highest quality. Period. There have never been, are not, and never will be exceptions in this regard. I don't mean to say that you can't cook well with other excellences, but when you know you can have the best ingredient, you take the best, and that's it," he concludes.
The menu is faithful to the ingredients of his land: many seasonal vegetables purchased strictly from farmers, fresh fish, hormone-free or antibiotic-free meat, truffles chosen with the utmost care, and homemade bread from ancient grains. "Even at the fish market, after 40 and something years, fishermen and vendors know me, respect me, set aside everything I need to plate my dream. They may seem like stories to feed the press, but it's real life. Of course, one might get tired at some point. Choose another path, maybe an easier one. But not me, I have never tired because this path is mine, it's my life," Giuseppe Bruno continues.
A life of passion for cooking, attention to quality, and insatiable study and learning. Let's not forget that, as we told you in April 2023, the chef is capable of conceiving from scratch and bringing to the table delights like the golden cappuccino: a simple cappuccino made with Buffalo milk and strictly Italian Miscela D'Oro coffee, embellished with a gold leaf and served in Ginori cups. Even the New York Times, the world's most important newspaper, paid homage to him for his creation, which then circled the globe.
The wines
Descending the stairs of Sistina, obviously along a stunning art collection, you arrive at one of the cellars. From a wall lined with bottles, you almost magically enter a vault with over 30,000 bottles, plus another 70,000 in storage, many of which are collectibles, of immeasurable value. With about 100,000 bottles and 4,600 labels, many speak of this cellar as one of the largest wine cellars in the world. Inside Sistina's cellar, the focus is on Italian and French wines, and you can find some of the best vintages such as the 1982 Sassicaia, the 1970 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, as well as some exceptional Bordeaux and Burgundy, and vintage wines from producers like Giacomo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa, Bartolo Mascarello, and Antinori.
"For professionals who come after closing a deal, they like to uncork something important, from a magnum and up. Year after year, I continued to set aside some bottles and have become one of the biggest collectors. Wine and art have no boundaries. It's not true that here in America they don't understand quality; the palate has changed," says Giuseppe Bruno. Sistina's wine list—a Bible that no customer could read within the span of a dinner—does not go unnoticed by Wine Spectator, which has awarded the establishment the Grand Award with 3 glasses continuously since 2018. This year too, Wine Spectator has selected Sistina as one of the best restaurants in New York and the United States, on par with Michelin-starred establishments like Eleven Madison Park, Per Se, and Le Bernardin: three of the five fine dining restaurants in New York to have received three Michelin stars.
The Awards
Wine Spectator's Grand Award is certainly not the only accolade that Sistina and Chef Giuseppe Bruno have received over the years. Even though Giuseppe, being a very modest man, doesn't like to talk about it much, Sistina i
s included every year in the list of "Top Italian Restaurants in New York." The wine list also receives the highest recognition of 3 bottles from Gambero Rosso. In 2002, the restaurant was selected as the "Restaurant of the Year" by the New Yorker Magazine, as well as among the 7 best restaurants in the world for its wine selection by Forbes and among the 11 best in New York by Departures. Furthermore, it has been reviewed by Epoch Times and included in the NY Dining Guide, and mentioned by the most important Italian and American publications (Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, Forbes Italia, Il Sole 24 Ore, Gambero Rosso, Reporter Gourmet, WSJ, New York Post, Huffington Post, Eater, Fox5, Forbes USA, ABC, New York Times, New Yorker Magazine, etc.) And here we return to the contradiction with which we began this article. How is it possible that Sistina, established as an excellence in the world of New York dining, does not even receive a Michelin star?
Let's review together how the Michelin star assignment works:
The Michelin star is awarded to excellent restaurants. To grant this recognition, Michelin inspectors consider some basic criteria: the quality of ingredients, the harmony of flavors, mastery of techniques, the chef's personality expressed in their cuisine, and equally important, consistency over time and across the entire menu. Michelin inspectors, notoriously anonymous, all full-time Michelin employees and former professionals in the restaurant and hospitality industry, provide an objective judgment. Each restaurant is visited by several inspectors, who then discuss and compare their respective experiences to make a final decision.
There is no secret and mathematical formula: excellence leads to recognition, but it's not easy to explain what it consists of. Some Michelin stars are distinguished by a high coefficient of innovation, while others remain in the comfort zone; some offer fixed tasting menus, while others provide à la carte options; some rely on lively and informal service, while others make formality a cornerstone.
We read from the official website the requirements for the assignment of the Michelin stars:
A Michelin star is awarded to restaurants that use top-quality ingredients, where dishes - with distinct flavors - are prepared to a consistently high standard.
Two Michelin stars are awarded when the chef's personality and talent clearly shine through in their dishes; their cuisine is refined and inspired.
Three Michelin stars are the highest recognition, awarded to chefs at the pinnacle of their profession; their cuisine has elevated to an art form, and some of their dishes are destined to become classics.
At Sistina, everything is in place: top-quality ingredients for refined cuisine, inspired by a chef whose strong personality shines through in both the dishes and the surroundings; standards of cooking, cleanliness, and service that are more than elevated; a cellar with a depth of vintages and bottled rarities; a distinctive environment characterized by works ranging from paintings to sculptures (already artistically emblematic for the structure and location); impeccable service thanks to a well-established team of professionals.
Contacts
Sistina Restaurant
24 East 81st Street - New York, NY 10028
Mail sistina@sistinany.com
Website
