At Noble LIC, a Chef Finds Tasteful Living
His restaurant might have Brooklyn in its name, but it’s Queens that Raffaele Solinas calls home. We chatted with the longtime restauranteur (who has since opened a Long Island City location) about his new home at New York’s first Porcelanosa-partnered new development.
Along tranquil, tree-lined 40th Avenue, the bold flavors of Noble LIC and storied brand Porcelanosa make a pairing worthy of a chef’s kiss. Fittingly, it has one in residence.
Raffaele Solinas is executive chef and owner of Osteria Brooklyn, which opened a Long Island City location at the corner of 50th Avenue and Center Boulevard in 2024, joining the restaurant’s original spot in Clinton Hill and a DeKalb Market Hall outpost in Downtown Brooklyn. Despite his King’s County renown, however, he spends his personal time in Queens. The Sardinia-born chef has been a Long Island City inhabitant since 2007, back when the neighborhood only recently began its vertical metamorphosis. “When I came here, there were really only two high-rises,” Solinas recalls.
Solinas recently upgraded his address to Noble, the new boutique development where he purchased a one-bedroom from the building’s Terraces Collection — homes spanning Noble’s second and third levels with what Corcoran’s Patrick Smith describes as “townhouse-style” living. In a way, these homes are a perfect bridge between LIC’s historic row houses and their newer, skyward counterparts. “These units have oversized kitchens, extra closets, water spigots, power lighting, and, of course, huge terraces,” says Smith, who represents the building as its broker of record.
If 20-foot terraces didn’t help Noble stand out from the pack, consider this: it’s the first building in New York City to participate in the Porcelanosa Select program, pairing this transformative development with a storied design house. “That attracted me to this place even more,” adds Solinas, who was well familiar with the brand’s reputation throughout Europe. Porcelanosa’s specialized team handled everything on the inside, from floors and wall tiles to the literal kitchen sinks — conferring a welcoming and sophisticated palette of neutral hues and warm textures that helps propagate the natural sunlight beamed through oversized windows.
“Beyond just well-conceived floor plans in an unbeatable location, we wanted to level up Noble in a way that provided residents a truly exceptional living experience, and this partnership proved integral to that,” added Tony Raouf, who co-developed Noble with Gus Vorillas. Raouf, a veteran restauranteur himself, is a longtime LIC resident and dedicated supporter of the local arts community.
“Not only is this place like a city on the sea —
you also have the skyline right in front of you.”
Another differentiator at Noble? Glass-fronted terraces, featured in all 46 residences. “You could easily spend most of your day out there,” says Solinas, who was immediately taken by the amenity when Smith first showed him the listing. “We had a party here in the summertime, and the terrace was a beautiful setting, with wide views over the neighborhood and Manhattan.”
Each Noble unit sports a custom kitchen composed of Porcelanosa white porcelain slab countertops, full-height bone white backsplashes, chrome fixtures, underlit white and textured wood cabinets, and panelized Bertazzoni refrigerators and dishwashers — a melodious blend of form and function. All Terraces Collection homes have full-height pantries, and every two-bedroom residence has a waterfall countertop island. Meanwhile, the bedrooms themselves are lush retreats, lavished with sunlight and flaunting vast closets in a city where people covet those things. Bathrooms all have radiant-heat flooring, regardless of the residence’s size, but two-bed homes score a custom ensuite and glass-enclosed stall shower. However, home itself does not account for everything Noble LIC offers.
Treat your body right in an indoor-outdoor fitness center with top-shelf cardio equipment — there’s a nearly thousand-square-foot terrace — or commune in the high-ceilinged, glass-enclosed residents lounge, complete with a Porcelanosa catering kitchen. Pamper furry members of the family at the onsite pet spa. Car owners need never again fret over alternate side parking, thanks to the 100-car valet-attended garage. Biking is ideal for getting around Long Island City and beyond, something Noble makes all the easier with its dedicated bike storage. After finding balance at yoga class, picking up the dog from their mani-pedi, or riding to Greenpoint and back, a Latch lock on your front door allows for effortless keyless entry. “It’s quite unprecedented to have this level of amenities in a building with less than 50 homes,” Smith explains.
Multiple subway options linking Queens to Manhattan and Brooklyn are a few minutes away at Queensboro Plaza (7, N, W) and the similarly named Queens Plaza (E, M, R) — the 21st Street–Queensbridge F station is only a bit further. Within the neighborhood, you’re hardly far from contemporary art powerhouse MoMA PS1, East Riverfront green spaces at Gantry Plaza State Park and Queensboro Park, and a vivacious dining scene.
Topping it all off is Noble’s 4,200-square-foot landscaped roof deck, replete with lounging space and outdoor grills. Here, LIC’s trademark perspective of Manhattan never strays too far out of frame. “Not only is this place like a city on the sea — you also have the skyline right in front of you,” adds Solinas. Those panoramic vistas of NYC’s iconic cityscape aren’t just a passing fancy along your route to elsewhere; they’re a permanent fixture of life. It’s one of the many reasons Solinas says he’s stayed in the area for almost 20 years.
Fittingly, Osteria Brooklyn LIC’s water-adjacent setup allows one eye to always stay glued to the indelible Manhattan scenery that Manhattanites wish they could see — that is, if you can take your eyes off the food.
