A Nasdaq trading trio has their own version of best execution in the culinary world.
The name is Peccavi, a Latin word used to describe their "sinfully" delicious Italian-Mediterranean bistro in New York City's Murray Hill area.
Now Charles Manza, 49, a Nasdaq market maker at Merrill Lynch, and two Nasdaq sales traders, Robert Donato, 58, of NDB Capital Markets, and Stella Santaromita, 36, of Knight Securities, hope they have the recipe to entice more traders to dine with them.
The story of Peccavi began while Manza was on vacation in Italy. The restaurant's Brooklyn-born chef, Joseph Savino, who is a family friend of Manza's, was on a visit in the same parts. Savino mentioned to him how he wanted to open a restaurant in New York City.
"It sounded like a fun thing to do," Manza recalled. So he contacted two other traders and friends, Donato and Santaromita. Yes, both were eager to help finance the new restaurant. Savino also became a co-owner. Another investor was Kana Brinckerhoff, formerly a general manager at Trattoria Acqua, in La Jolla, Calif., who is now in charge at Peccavi. (Savino himself was once the executive chef at the fancy five-star eatery.) "After going out for 37 years at many different restaurants," Donato said, "I realized I could open a restaurant."
Not only that, but Santaromita believes the bistro has the best culinary execution too. "Joseph Savino is the oxygen and we [other co-owners] are the breath of fresh air," she said.
Santaromita's colleagues at Knight must think so too. "My many friends at Knight continually support us by coming here night after night."
The restaurant, which opened in May, has received rave reviews from several magazines and newspapers, including The New York Daily News, The New York Times, New York, Time Out, and Crain's New York Business. "There's something about Peccavi that turns first-time visitors into regulars," wrote the no-
ted restaurant reviewer, Bob Lappe, in Crain's. "Perhaps it's the cozy warmth and romantic aura of the place, the cordial greeting and real concern that you enjoy yourself, the smooth teamwork of the staff and their pride in the food and beverages they serve."
Origin of Name
The restaurant's name, Peccavi, was coined by Savino. When Savino was a young fellow he remembers his mother exclaiming, "I have sinned," after eating something she thought was "sinfully" delicious. Years later, she found the Latin word, Peccavi. She turned to her son and said, "Wouldn't Peccavi be a great name for a restaurant?" The name stuck with Savino.
The restaurant is located on a quiet residential street in the heart of Murray Hill (134 East 26th Street). "We felt this area was up and coming," Manza said. "Credit Suisse First Boston is close by and so are many other firms." Many neighborhood people are regular patrons, he added, including some of the doctors from the nearby NYU Medical Center.
Peccavi says it has been well received by the Street. "The whole Street knows we are here," Manza boasted.
Peccavi is easy to miss. The only indication that you've arrived is a small oval sign at the entrance bearing its name. "The more hidden the restaurant is," Manza explained, "the more people want to go. When people first come here, they say, wow, I never knew this was here!"
A small bar is at the entrance. The main dining room is rustic and lined with exposed brick and saffron colored walls. A small passageway leads you to a second dining space decorated in the same motif. A flight up is a third room with green walls and white lace curtains.
Seasonal Menu
At Peccavi, the seasonal menu has appetizers such as baby eggplants stuffed with herbed goat cheese, pimientos and pignoli, with a roasted tomato coulis and crisp fried calamari with spicy harissa aioli.
Although the varieties of pasta change frequently, some of Peccavi's regular specialties include pappardelle with braised rabbit, chanterelles, tomato, white wine and rosemary and linguini with littleneck clams, sliced garlic, Italian parsley, white wine and olive oil. The entrees are a mixture of flavor and texture.
The bartender at Peccavi, Henry Wasmund, reputedly serves up some of the best mixed drinks in the Big Apple. "Everybody who comes here," Santaromita claims, "says the drinks are great, whether they are cosmopolitans, martinis or any exotic drinks."
Peccavi also is proud of its exceptional hospitality. "No matter who walks through our doors," Santaromita said, "they are always welcome."
Santaromita said a man, who was apparently down and out, recently stopped into the restaurant. She gave him a huge bundle of food and wished him well.
