CLINTON HILL — After more than 20 years in Manhattan, Da Ciro Ristorante is bringing its signature Italian dishes to Clinton Hill — but this time there’ll be a slight twist.
The famed Italian eatery, owned by executive chef Ciro Verdi and Victoria Frignani, is moving to 458 Myrtle Ave. this April after closing the doors to its Murray Hill location in March of 2014.
Most of the menu will stay the same, but the restaurant will be adding a bar menu with smaller bites that could range from Italian sliders to an Italian take on tacos, according to Frignani.
“We’re messing around with Italian tacos, doing our own twist,” Frignani said. “We’re trying to bring a little more new wave tapas style. People tend to go more towards ordering small plates.”
Frignani said they haven’t perfected the Italian taco just yet, but it’ll definitely be making an appearance on the menu.
The bar menu will also feature a choice of three Italian sliders — meatball parmesan, chicken parmesan or sausage and peppers — as well as some fig starters.
Other new dishes like burgers and truffle fries will incorporate more of an American style. And the restaurant will serve brunch for the first time with the addition of breakfast pizzas that are served with an egg on top.
That doesn’t mean Chef Verdi, a Queens native who’s been featured on several Food Network shows, will be forgetting about the fan favorites.
Da Ciro will serve still serve its famous double cut veal chop that’s roasted in the wood-burning oven with olive oil and rosemary, served with a side of mashed potatoes or polenta.
The menu will also feature the same 10 pasta dishes that were on the menu at the Manhattan location for its 20 years of operation, including the Bucatini All’Amatriciana (spaghetti with tomatoes, pancetta and pecorino cheese) and the Orecchiette con Broccoli Rabe e Salsiccia (pasta with broccoli rabe and sausage).
Lunch options will include a selection of paninis, like the Dello Chef (grilled steak with fontina cheese, mozzarella, caramelized onions and oven-dried tomatoes) and the Di Pollo e Prosciutto (chicken breast with prosciutto, mozzarella, fontina cheese, oven-dried tomatoes and arugula).
The restaurant’s wine selection will start with 100 bottles from various locations and work its way up, Frignani said.
For brunch, Da Ciro will serve mimosas, bloody mary’s and bellinis (“The standard Italian midday drink,” according to Frignani).
Frignani said she and Verdi chose the Clinton Hill, which features an upstairs bar and a wood-burning oven, because of the neighborhood’s growing community.
“[In Manhattan,] we had customers that came in the day we opened and came in on our last day. We knew everybody by name,” Frignani said. “Community is important. We would love to be part of a community that is growing.”
Da Ciro will be open Sundays between 10:30 a.m. and 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday from 12 to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 12 to 11 p.m.
