Tell us about your restaurant?

Il Totano is a southern italian seafood restaurant with a focus on dry aged fish. We want the diner to feel transported to the Italian coast both with our food and our interiors.  We heavily lean into crudos as a menu staple, and love big, bold intersting flavors.  Harold (Dieterle) is Sicilian, and an avid fisherman, which has heavily influenced the menu. The interiors were designed again by Sasha Bikoff (she also did Flex and Hoexters) and our inspiration was 1970's yacht life in Italy. 

Whats your personal favorite thing on the menu?

I love all the crudos, and the mafaldine with lamb.  I don't even like lamb and I am dreaming of this pasta! I also really love the spaghetti with crab sauce. 

What was the thought process of not just reopning Flex Mussels, but having a brand new concept?

After we opened the big Flex on the Upper East, we understood the full potential of Flex having a large street presence, and a big outdoor cafe.  Our new Uptown space really does Flex justice, and after 14 years in the West Village, we really needed a proper renovation.  It felt fun to do something new, interesting, and fresh in this space.  When I was introduced to Harold as a partner, it became an absolute must to work with him however I could!

What is the most iconic NYC restaurant in your eyes?

Oh god I don't even know where to begin!  There is iconic NYC, and then there is iconic TO ME in NYC.  In my opinion, a good diner is the best thing about NYC.  I truly had to move from Chicago in part because there was no diner to order from when you got home from the bars. We grew up eating diner, and to this day, a good (large) diner order is my most comforting meal.  I also love a great NYC slice.  It has been years since I have tasted what pizza tasted like when I was younger and growing up in the city, and I think I finally have tasted something close again at "L'industrie".  It still doesn't have quite the same cheese "tang" that pizza had when I was growing up. Another restaurant I grew up loving and eating in was Shabu Tatsu. Bulgogi bibimbap, kimchi, and sukiyaki are some of my very favorite foods to eat.  I also really adore Parkside Italian restaurant in Queens.  The food is always consistently delicious, and it just feels un fussy, familiar, and chaotic in the best way possible.