amNY: Precision on a plate: CASASALVO’s Mediterranean mastery wows diners in Soho
- djcdesigneracct
- Aug 12
- 1 min read
Updated: Sep 17
Original Publication Source: https://www.amny.com/lifestyle/eat-and-drink/casasalvo-restaurant-soho-mediterranean/
Chef Salvo Lo Castro, the culinary wizard behind CASASALVO, pulls his cuisine from North Africa, Greece, Malta, Spain, and beyond, folding those Mediterranean influences into an ingredient-driven language that is bold and unpretentious.
We did not go to be photographed; we went to be moved — and CASASALVO delivered.
Two elegant ladies in Soho, seated at a bar tuned to perfect pitch—martinis drawn cold and clean, handsome waiters with unforced poise, char and citrus drifting from the open kitchen. At the pass, Chef Salvo Lo Castro kept vigil like a craftsman-priest: no waste, no wobble, only devotion. The room may flirt, yet rigor steals your breath.
The food speaks with confidence instead of volume. Charred octopus lands first—tender with a proud sear, brightened by lemon and excellent olive oil, herbs lifting the edges.
Beef carpaccio follows, cut whisper-thin, seasoned with restraint, the acidity calibrated to wake the palate without crowding it. Fresh vegetables arrive with purpose: blistered peppers carrying a smoky murmur, tomatoes singing peak-season clarity, greens that taste like they were picked with intent, not convenience.
