Otto Otto Otto

Otto Enoteca Pizzeria has been reviewed countless times – it’s widely renowned among New Yorkers and tourists alike due to its famous owners Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. For all the hype, the prices are very very reasonable, and I view Otto as the perfect place to go with a group for an affordable but fun, exciting and energetic meal. It’s the perfect solution to that “where should we go out to dinner before going out Saturday?” question, but the only problem is making a reservation. If you are planning a week ahead and want to go on a Saturday, forget it. They allow walk ins, but anticipate to wait at least 45 minutes for a table. Even with a reservation my mother and I had to wait 20 minutes to be seated.

On the bright side, Otto has set up a perfect waiting area for its diners. Around 8 tall wooden tables allow those waiting to be seated to stand casually to order drinks, cheese plates, or any other antipasti that the menu offers. Though I admit I felt awkward leaning over a four foot table while shoveling cheese and bread in my mouth, everyone around me shared in the experience of communal snacking and lively conversation, so I wasn’t too out of place. Modeled after an Italian train station, Otto has a very creative way of notifying their parties ready to be seated – upon arrival, they hand them a ticket with the name of a train stop, and they are told to look out for that name on the list of train stations constantly changing on the wall. This keeps the diners in suspense as they wait to be seated, and also provides somewhat of a fun activity to do in the mean time. It also brings them back to an Italian train station.

On to the actual dining experience. Once we were seated at our very Italian, wooden square table, our waitress quickly brought us bread and listed the specials. Slow wait to be seated, speedy process to get you the hell out of there. As a group of four, we ordered two pizzas, two pastas, a salad, and a broccoli and pecorino antipasti. The waitress claimed we would still be hungry after that, but this was clearly enough food for our table (and my family generally eats a lot). The salads here are simple – we ordered the arugula and tomato salad, which based on the description you can probably tell it was nothing to write home about, but a good simple compliment to an carb filled meal. The cheese plate was delicious, accompanied by candied cherries, fresh honey, and sweet apricots – so unique a great contrast to such saltiness.

Now for the pizzas – I remain to be a fan of the quattro stagioni pizza – a traditional pizza that strives to represent all four seasons with one fourth ham, one fourth mushrooms, one fourth peppers, and one fourth squash. Perfect for those who are indecisive. The pizza marguerita, which my sister ordered, was boring yet delicious. The pizzas here are definitely worth waiting for, as you can’t find any rival in New York City – They are thin, piping hot, covered with the perfect amount of bright red tomato sauce and shiny white mozzarella cheese. The best part about them is that they aren’t filling – one Otto pizza is actually what I consider a light meal. Who ever thought pizza could be light?

I generally stay away from the pastas when I come here, but being with my mom ordering pasta was a given. My favorite was the spaghetti carbonara – cooked perfectly, precisely portioned with the right amount of creaminess to contrast the chunks of crispy pancetta. Rather than being smothered in cream sauce, the noodles were just lightly dressed and stunningly seasoned. YUM. My mom also ordered the pork shoulder rigatoni with tomato sauce. This was delicious, but I am not a huge fan of pork. Order this if you like that braised, smothering taste of rather lean pork shoulder. Pastas were both al dente, which I love.

Dessert was stellar, which is SO unusual for an Italian joint (but then again, this isn’t just any Italian joint). We ordered the “black and white” – milk chocolate chip gelato, hazelnut brittle, creme fraiche gelato, chocolate sauce, and caramel whipped cream. Wow. That combo was like a science project – each bite brought a new, delicately sweet flavor that I had never experienced. The brittle was quite subtle, and was by far the best part of the dessert. All gelato at Otto is made in house, and you can definitely taste the difference. Highly recommend this dessert for a creative take on gelato.

Soooo when all was said and done we definitely enjoyed our experience at Otto, though if you are looking for something more leisurely, this is not the place to go. With such high demand it’s not surprising that their turnaround time is short, but the delicious food and the possibility of seeing Mario is more than worth the rush.

Address: 1 Fifth avenue at 8th street, 10003
Website: www.ottopizzeria.com