Da Panino is founded by Giuseppe Palmieri, restaurant manager and sommelier of Osteria Francescana, which happens to be just down the street. There was only one table that seats 6 or 8, then a bar on the other side that maybe seats 4.
"Fate l'amore, non fate la dieta" or "make love, not diet" seems to be the motto or slogan that is plastered all over the walls of the restaurant.
We got here shortly after 1000, which is when they open. They said they only had paninis at the time, which was fine with me. We ordered numbers 4 (Ligurian pesto, seasoned tomatoes, smoked buffalo cheese, and potato salad) and 5 (Gorgonzola with mascarpone, walnuts, extra spicy mustard, and ripe pears).
As they were preparing the panini, you could see the amount of dedication they had as they were preparing it. The pictures of the panini do not do justice to the amount of detail I could see them putting into it. The bread was warm, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and had a delicious flavor to it. While I enjoyed both paninis, the number 4 felt like it had too much cheese for me. The pears of number 5 paired nicely with the Gorgonzola (pun intended).
If you are looking for a fairly quick bite, I'd highly recommend this place, as you could even get a box of snack sandwiches! read more