Tag Archives: bread basket

October 13, 2012 · 3:03 pm

Park Avenue Autumn

Last night I ventured up to Park Avenue Autumn in the upper east side, a neighborhood more foreign to me than any other in New York City. I lived on 60th and 1st Ave the summer of 2007 with my good friend Sarah, but we never really exposed ourselves to the genre of people that I saw last night: an older crowd sprinkled with blazers, pearls, and touches of plastic surgery – a crossbreed of my grandma’s country club and New York Housewives. A very well-dressed group helped adorn the restaurant to say the least. White table cloths, waiters in suits, and a gorgeous, wedding-style room set up is just the setting I would imagine in this situation.

My (playful) snobbiness aside, the restaurant truly evokes the warm and cozy feeling of fall, and the concept of switching menu, decor, and front entrance every season is a clever one. The bread basket, filled with fresh pumpkin loaves, onion rolls, and hearty cheddar crackers even made me feel one with the season. Our autumn cabbage salad with crispy shrimp tasted a little bit like the tangy sweet and sour salad I used to get at Wolfgang Puck in Macy’s, but was crunchy, cold, and delicious nonetheless. My halibut, which was seared to a crisp and served with black truffles and a breaded poached egg, was simple and well cooked. But never once have I ordered halibut and not regretted it. It’s often bland, dry, and uninteresting.

autumn vegetable stack with crispy shrimp

halibut with black truffles

Dessert was the real shocker because after the somewhat approachable appetizers and main courses, out came what they called a carrot cake but really looked like cubes of cheese exploding with dollops of unknown purees. I should have suspected that a carrot cake described as accompanying a “brie fritter” would taste a little off, too. One bite and I couldn’t decide if I was eating a cheese plate or a dessert. Do what you want with savory food, but dessert is never better when fussed with. Give me a brownie and a scoop of ice cream and I’m a happy camper.

“carrot cake” ….

Park Avenue Autumn fills the frequent need of providing an older, sophisticated crowd with interesting but familiar food – broccoli with cheetos is really on the menu – in an impressive space. When my grandma comes back in town, I won’t hesitate to bring her back here for visit number 2, but I’ll no doubt wait until then to return. It just ain’t my scene!

Grade: B+ (extra points for bread basket)
Location: 100 East 63rd between Park and Lex
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October 16, 2010 · 1:36 pm

Apizz

It takes a lot for me to venture out of the West Village when the wind is at hurricane strength and home delivery is such a viable option, but after reading countless positive Chowhound and Yelp reviews of Apizz, I felt the restaurant was worthy of my energy. Situated on a narrow one-way road in the Lower East Side, Apizz had quite the potential to be my new back-pocket gem with the rustic, romantic feel so tough to find or preserve in New York. While I often review larger establishments, my true favorites are the tiny, undiscovered spots mostly visited by neighborhood locals and focused on food and vibe rather than status and scene.

At first sight, Apizz seemed to meet my expectations – upon entering and greeting the host, to the left is a beautiful space with a small cluster of white linen covered tables (photo above taken from NYmag, must have been a different season). Brick walls and warm golden lighting line the space, and diners facing the right direction are open to a view of the chef’s preparation area and a fire wood oven, though somewhat obstructed by a glass divider decorated with fall fruit and leaves. Behind the host is a small bar and a few extra tables for two, but even with this additional space the restaurant maintains its quaint and romantic setting.

Arriving 30 minutes late to our reservation, I was told that I had about an hour for my meal. Even though I was disgruntled, I understood the situation and actually appreciated the warning. Service, maybe as a result of the host’s note to the waiter, was on point and we had glasses of wine in hand just seconds after sitting. Even better, we were given a basket of rustic Italian bread with house marinara and a soft, dense ricotta cheese. This itself served the purpose of an appetizer, but of course didn’t stop us from ordering more.

There were a variety of good looking salads and appetizer pizzas on the menu, but we decided on the romaine lettuce salad with drunken goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, and a creamy sherry vinaigrette, as well as the “funghi con polenta,” polenta cakes with a side of sauteed trumpet mushrooms. The salad’s massive portion size was probably its most notable asset – while tasty, it didn’t seem much more to me than a pile of oil-dressed romaine lettuce with standard croutons and four wedges of goat cheese.

The polenta was delicious, but didn’t look as appetizing as it tasted. Rather than a disc of golden polenta under a pile of mushrooms as I had expected, there were three off-purple sticks of polenta beside a small, somewhat greasy bed of white mushrooms. Combined with the marina sauce (meant for the bread), it was definitely filling and flavorful, but I wished the polenta sticks were a bit crispier on the outside and the mushrooms less oily.

For dinner, I ordered the herb baked skate fish with bread crumbs, white wine, and capers Served in cast iron dish with beautifully crisp potatoes, it looked incredible. Sadly, after my first bite I realized the fish, which was oddly stringy in texture, was swimming in a bed of oil, and was entirely overpowered by the flavor of green olives and capers. It’s hard for me to say, but the fish was gross. Fortunately, the potatoes were perfectly cooked and seasoned, so I concentrated on those for the remainder of my meal.

 Additionally, Mike’s dish of hankerchief pasta with crab and creamy tomato sauce was hardly exciting – the large lumps of crab were quite deceiving, tasting fishier than fresh crab should, and the pasta was cooked a few minutes too long. With soft noodles, an excessive amount of sauce, and a hint of fishiness, this pasta tasted more like the frozen lasagnas I used to eat in college.

It’s not in my nature to give entirely bad reviews, so I am thrilled that the dessert was incredible, especially for Italian restaurants which so often lack ice-cream accompanied options. The flourless chocolate cake was just that – it tasted as soft and rich as brownie batter does before adding the dry ingredients, and served warm beneath a generous scoop of ice cream, it was a honestly my heaven. One bite of this each nigh would definitely make me a better person. We also tried the white chocolate banana budino which was also served with a large scoop of vanilla. Though warm, subtly sweet, and incredibly delicious, the bread pudding seemed to lack the white chocolate it had promised, but we were happy nonetheless.

My thesis on Apizz – it’s a place to go for ambiance, service, and dessert, not necessarily incredible food. That said, atmosphere to me is almost on par with food in importance for my restaurant experiences, so I really appreciate Apizz’s perfect execution of a window-less romantic setting. Considering its distance from my apartment, I’ll probably never return, but would recommend it to someone in the area looking for a date spot and unconcerned about perfect food.

Grade: B
Website: http://www.apizz.com
Location: 217 Eldridge between Stanton and Rivington

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October 2, 2010 · 7:34 pm

Strip House

I am not a huge meat eater, but I LOVE steakhouses. I love the sides, the bread, the massive desserts, the suave, swanky dining rooms, the caricatures on the wall, and the memories of childhood dinners out that it provokes. When my parents told me to book a place for our dinner with the grandparents, I immediately thought of Strip House. I had heard rave reviews about their steak from meat connoisseurs, and realized that steakhouses are the perfect please-all option for my family, which consists of people with a wide variety of food preferences. Non meat eaters can order fish or lobster, and the steak lovers obviously have a wide range of choices.
From the outside, with a tacky neon sign and a faded red awning, Strip House looks more like a …Strip Club than a steakhouse. But inside the mood is sensual, mystical, and very New York – a more swanky version of the typical Palm or Wolfgangs. The host was very accommodating of my special request for a round table, which is key for a party of 6 or more. My family and I were seated in the center of the dining room, in plain view of our server and the bus boys, perfect for a high maintenance group.
Bread basket was great – wide variety included an onion roll, a french roll, some crackers, and a few other options that kept us busy with our drinks for the first half hour. To start, my grandmother and I shared a bib lettuce salad with tomatoes, blue cheese, bacon, and red onion. I love steakhouse salads because they are generally served ice cold. This salad was delicious and definitely fit the steakhouse salad build. I also tried the caesar salad, which wasn’t the classic caesar salad I expected, but still flavorful, chilled, and tasty.
My father ordered the shrimp cocktail, which usually is the last thing I would like to eat, but I couldn’t resist a taste because the shrimp looked so fresh and plump. They were delicious – probably some of the tastiest poached shrimp I’ve had. And who knew you could differentiate shrimp cocktail?
I decided to skip the red meat for my main – I know, I’m a disgrace to a steakhouse. Unfortunately, the ONLY drawback on the menu was the lack of variety in the fish options. Generally, steakhouses have at least 3 – 4 solid seafood dishes. I had a choice between the seared tuna, which is pretty generic, and the Red Snapper, which doesn’t usually appeal to me. I opted to try something new and went with the snapper, and it was actually quite delicious. The skin was crispy, the base of bacon and potatoes was flavorful, and the fish was perfectly cooked.


Obviously, I tried the steak (my grandmother’s, since she is the only other person in the family who likes their meat medium rare), and the center was perfectly tender, savory, and juicy; the outside a crust of meaty flavor.
My sister ordered a seafood platter for her main, and it was massive.
The sides were equally amazing, and probably the most memorable, decadent part of meal (save dessert) – cream truffled spinach and crispy goose fat potatoes. Crazy! A few bites of those definitely put me over the edge.
But my fullness didn’t stop me from ordering dessert. Prior to coming to Strip House, I had seen pictures of their famous chocolate cake on Yelp, and I made it my mission to order it whenever I finally got a chance to dine there. I couldn’t resist…I ordered the Strip House famous chocolate cake, the warm chocolate brownie with ice cream, and the profiteroles for the table. Each dessert was RIDICULOUS. Our entire table almost freaked out in awe and surprise of the portion sizes. The cake was probably 6 inches high – a piece fit for the entire family, with 24 layers (my aunt meticulously counted) of dense chocolate ganache. Holy man it made my night.

The profiteroles was more like one gigantic pastry vessel of a bottomless supply of hazelnut and chocolate ice cream, also delicious, and the warm chocolate brownie was everything a warm chocolate brownie should be – damn good and a solid reason for my existence. I am honestly obsessed with dessert…it’s not a proper meal without it.
So, after the grand finale show of dessert, including THE BEST chocolate cake of my life, no lie, it was hard to even consider giving Strip House anything but a rave review. But, when my father professed that his steak blew that of Harris’s in San Francisco out of the water, I knew that the restaurant was an overwhelming success. The service was great, the food, from the sides to the steak to the dessert was phenomenal, and everyone of my family members left full and happy. The next opportunity I have to book a restaurant for a date, a special event, or a fun group dinner, I will undoubtedly consider Strip House.
Grade: A
Address: 13 E 12th Street between 5th and University

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May 12, 2010 · 11:34 pm

Corton NYC

Corton has been praised as one of the best new restaurants in New York City, but based off of the descriptions of its delicate and refined food, it didn’t strike me to be a potential favorite. While it may seem like I only dine at expensive, snooty places, I don’t. I’ve just had a lot of reasons to dine at special occasion restaurant recently (birthday, new job, etc.). In fact, going to Corton wasn’t even my choice – it was my manager Eileen’s choice, since she and my two other managers kindly offered to take me out to celebrate my birthday. And in retrospect, I am SO glad we followed her suggestion!

The restaurant is absolutely gorgeous – with a white, pristine, Japanese-zen feel, and background noise so low you could almost hear a pin drop, it felt more like a wellness center than a typical New York restaurant. But everything about the restaurant coincides. The food is clean, beautifully and perfectly presented and combines pure, fresh, simple ingredients to create intense and complex flavors. The service is subtle and impeccable as well – calm yet attentive, and not overzealous in the slightest. Quite an artful place.
The *only* complaint I would have about the restaurant is that they do not allow photos of their food. Out of snobbiness or respect for their guests (I was sitting a table away from Matt Lauer), Idon’t know; nonetheless it made me discouraged to write this blog. However, with constant flashbacks of the wonderful food I consumed at Corton, I couldn’t help but distribute a stellar review to my (3) avid fans.

I and the rest of my group opted for the three course meal – along with 2 amuse bouches, a delicious selection of bread rolls (with two types of butter and fleur de sel), the various accoutrements the come as surprises with each dish, and a chocolate truffle and macaron tasting, it was more than enough food. To start, I ordered the “From the Garden” salad. While it sounds dull, it was probably the best, most inventive and artful “salad” I’ve ever tasted. Bright and beautiful young vegetables with edible flowers doused the plate on top of hidden of root purrees and flavored oils. Really light and clean, but totally satisfying. We also decided to split an “in between” course that was incredible – “Early Spring,” which consisted of four separate plates: a scallop, sweat pea ravioli, a delicate crab salad, and a beautiful piece of rare quail. Of course I’m butchering the image of each course with poor descriptions, but you should know that each plated dish was as beautiful as food could be – a painting on a plate, with complimenting colors, textures, heights…it was almost surprising that it tasted as good as it looked!

For my main course, I had the halibut with morel mushrooms. Of course, it was perfectly cooked, light, comforting, and wholesome, but the best part about it was the heavy portion of freshly cooked green risotto served in a steel pot. I also managed to try the Angus beef, which was actually a hearty size. At that point in the meal, I was perfectly full (not only off of food, but off of probably close to a sweet bottle of Pouilley Montrachet burgundy), and felt so fortunate to have had one of the most intricate and spectacular meals of my life with three of the people I most admire.

Dessert followed the trend of the rest of the food – it was pure goodness. I ordered the “gold bar,” which is Corton’s version of a dense yet creamy, chocolate caramel layered cake. If I were to return, I would order a dessert with less intensity considering all of the wine and collectively-rich food I consumed, but no complaints in retrospect.

Grade: A+
Address: 239 West Broadway @ North Moore
Website: http://www.cortonnyc.com

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April 27, 2010 · 2:28 am

Daniel

It’s 10.28pm and I just returned from a truly memorable dining experience at Daniel. My fellow foodie friend, Erin (a.k.a Ketel 2), and I sat down to our table at 6.15pm. Yes, we sat for four hours – but dining at Daniel revolves around so much more than just food. It’s about service, experimentation, conversation, gluttony, luxury…just about everything I love in life! Truly indescribable, and on a entirely different level than most restaurants I’ve tried.

The setting is absolutely stunning: ornate, yet subtly so. Gorgeous, bright red fresh flowers adorn the space, surrounded by smooth oak vaults of aged wine, and long glossy columns supporting the adorned vault ceilings. Round tables evenly disperse the dining room, each with exceptional views spanning the entire restaurant – not one bad seat in the house. In fact, the host positioned Erin and me in a somewhat remote corner of the restaurant, but we could still view the mastery of the servers collectively tending to each table.

Before even attempting to decide on my main course, I was forced to choose a cocktail. With a long list of intriguing and never-before seen ($20+) cocktails, I decided to follow the advice of our (one of five) servers and have a famous white cosmopolitan made with St. Germain Elderflower Liquor, Lime Juice, and White Cranberry Juice. The long stem glass came holding a tennis-ball shaped ice cube enclosing a vibrant purple flower. The cocktail itself went down a little too easily, and reminded me of a subtler, more natural version of a starburst fruit candy. I loved it.

The waiter was amazingly accommodating, and upon inquiring about the wine, he brought out three tastings of three whites. We played a guessing game, and he asked me to pick my favorite without revealing the names of each. Considering the seemingly stuffy surroundings, I appreciated his light heartedness. His warm humor, along with the friendliness of the other waiters, proved to me that Daniel is a step above the rest of the fine dining establishments in New York – though the food and service is refined to a T, the staff and surroundings are warm, comforting, and playful. “Daniel is very much about experimentation, and trying something new..if you don’t like it, send it back, or throw it in my fave” one of our waiters joked.

As you can see already, there are many steps to the dining experience at Daniel. After ordering our drinks, we were given a beautiful amuse bouche a la lemon grass. Three tiny tastings of unexplainable lemon grass dishes gave Erin and I an idea of the remarkable journey to foodie land we were about to take.

And as if that weren’t enough, Mr. Bread-melier came out with a basket of 7 selections of bread – french baguette, sourdough baguette, rustic sourdough slices, butter rolls, olive rolls, parmesan garlic rolls, and seven seaded loaf. Between Erin and me, we were able to try almost every type of bread. The bread, along with cold french butter, made my entire experience at Daniel worth my while.
After bread service, and about 45 minutes through the meal, we were ready to order. The servers were receptive to our requests for suggestions, and their decisiveness was refreshing. Per their recommendations, I ordered the Maine Peekytoe Crab Salad, split an extra course of the Artichoke Raviolini in Saffron sauce with clams, squid, and cuttlefish, and decided on the Black Sea Bass with Syrah Sauce for my main. The crab salad was served in rolls of thinly sliced apple, and a lightly sweet granny smith apple dressing. The gorgeously plated dish was light and refreshing, with bursts of different flavors and textures.

The raviolini was a seafood lovers heaven – tiny green ravioli with generous portions of mussels and squid lay amidst a velvety saffron seafood broth, with stunning organic flavors.

I even snuck a taste of Erin’s foie gras…velvet in my mouth!

Picking one fish dish among the four listed was definitely a feat, but I was very happy I decided on the bass. The mysterious syrah sauce tasted more like a salty, rich caramel sauce, and while it sounds uncomplimentary, it accompanied the simple, delicate white fish just perfectly. The crispy potato parmentiers adorning the plate were also delicious.

Erin’s Duo of Wagyu beef was also delicious – the short ribs were like butter and the filet was perfectly cooked.
The dessert course could have been a meal (or two) in itself. Of course I skipped the entire 5-item long “Fruit” section and went straight to the “Chocolate” section. Erin ordered the Chocolate Peanut Butter Ganache with caramel ice cream, while I had my “go-to” dessert: warm chocolate cake (aka Warm Guanaja Chocolate Coulant) with milk sorbet. Both were exceptional, and as expected, beautifully plated. The chocolate cake came out as a mini bundt, and upon being punctured, oozed out with hot chocolate liquid – just as a molten chocolate cake should!

Erin’s dessert was my favorite – with a thin, crunchy, somewhat salty peanut butter layer and a mound of dense chocolate mousse, it tasted similar to what I would imagine a sophisticated candy bar to taste like.

In addition to these two desserts, the staff brought out a dessert on the house for my birthday (thanks to Erin!): the Coconut Lemongrass Soup with poached Pineapple and Coconut Rum sorbet. Not necessarily my dessert of choice, but I could still appreciate it for its beauty, creativity, and summery flavors.

And then…as our buttons bursted, we were given a dish of petit fours. And then, warm Madeleines. And then…a chocolate truffle course. Of course I had to taste a little bit of everything, but at that point I was so full it was hard for me to truly appreciate the flavors of each.

Once I thought the night couldn’t improve any more, Erin 2 decided to ask about the private dining space, called the sky room. The sky room sits adjacent to Daniel Boulud’s office, and directly above Daniel’s kitchen. The room has glass windows, so the special party of four reserving the space can watch every move of the kitchen staff as they glide through an 8 course meal. Fortunately, Erin’s interest led to one of the servers encouraging us to take a look, so upon finishing our meal and signing the bill, we were escorted a la VIP to the kitchen. While the private space, with a big window overlooking the kitchen, was awesome, it was the kitchen itself and the art and dance occurring inside of it that truly amazed me. The focus and determination in the eyes of each chef was breathtaking – to see a team of people, so driven and so dedicated to their work and the flavors and beauty of the plate after plate was truly inspiring. I could have stayed and watched for hours. The fact that each chef was a good looking french man may have played a part as well :)

Dining out for me, regardless of where I go, is an experience in and of itself. It’s like going to see a show, or going to see a baseball game, or taking a hike with your family. It’s an experience that allows you to interact, engage company, activate your senses, bond with your loved ones, bond with new friends, and release whatever tension you have built up inside. But dining at Daniel…not only is that an experience, but it is truly an EXPERIENCE. An Experience with its own definition; an Experience in its own right. And you must experience this Experience to know what I mean…and believe me, it’s worth it.

Grade: A+
Website: http://www.danielnyc.com
Address: 60 East 65th Street between Park and Madison

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April 8, 2010 · 1:40 am

Rayuela: LES Latin American fare

I’ve only heard great things about this Nuevo Latino restaurant, interestingly enough hidden on an insignificant block in the Lower East side, and after tonight’s meal I can understand why. Its food is inventive, enlivening, and filled with flavor, its ambiance cool, collected, and modern; the plentiful drink options are vibrant and eclectic; and the service, from what I could tell, is seamless. Its uniqueness is best represented in the first sight upon entering the space: a young sprawling tree bursting through the roof of the first floor. With all of these attractive qualities, I was surprised to see Rayuela practically empty until about 8pm, but I can understand that its swank and spunk feel make it more of an appeal to the younger, more adventurous nocturnal crowd.

Crowd or no crowd, I sincerely enjoyed every dish at Rayuela, because each contained an element of bright and invigorating flavors so quintessential in Latin America cuisine, and so representative of Latin American culture.

Before diving into the dishes we ordered, I have to give special praise to Rayuela’s complimentary serving of bread. I’ve always said a restaurant is only as good as its bread. While this usually doesn’t apply to Latin American spots, which typically serve tortilla chips (or nothing) to curb the appetite, I was ecstatic to learn that it applied to Rayuela. And it wasn’t enough that they served bread; they served the most delicious, moist, dense and cheesy breads I’ve ever had…served hot out of the oven. This little nugget of dough accompanied by chilled sweet cream olive butter is worth being sold as an appetizer on its own. Or even a main! I’d go back just to have another.
For our actual appetizers, we actually didn’t order any ceviche, and they had quite a variety. Instead, we shared the special: spicy guacamole mixed with tomatoes, crab, and shrimp, which couldn’t have been more simultaneously light and luscious. The chips were even worthy of praise – crispy, salty, and light, they were a perfect side to the rich and creamy avocado dip.
We then split two refreshing, tasty ensaladas: Cangrejo con Esparrago with jumbo lump crab meat, white asparagus, spinach, tomatoes and bacon in a grapefruit ginger vinaigrette, and the Pera Peral with spice and rioja wine infused pear, watercress, la peral cheese, toasted walnuts and a guindilla-agave vinaigrette. Both were light, citrusy, and flavorful, and I was particularly and pleasantly surprised by the generous portion of crab in such a dainty salad. Another wonderful and easily sharable appetizer was the Jalea: a mix of tempura seafood with mango-aji amarillo aioli, served with red onions and yucca fries. While I would have appreciated a larger share of my favorite part, the yucca fries, the meaty pile of delicately fried seafood in the center of the plate was a fair distraction.
For my main course, I ordered perfectly: grilled chilean seabass with a delicious sweet corn mash and a chorizo-salsa verde salad. The seabass was perfectly velvety, buttery and flakey; it practically melted in my mouth.

I couldn’t resist ordering the arepas con queso as a side dish, and I am glad! Dense, subtly sweet, and creamy, they were a delicious partner for the light fish. Also notable was the Asian style Paella, or paella de coco with lemongrass, coconutmilk, shrimp, calamari, scallops, octopus, manila clams and peas, which basically looked like a fiesta on a plate. The grilled beef tenderloin was also well liked by all. Essentially, every dish was an inventive mix of contrasting yet complimentary flavors that brought me straight back to warm nights in Brazil (though I’ve only experienced a few). Party on a plate (above)
The dessert list was not as enticing as the main menu, but considering my sweet tooth I couldn’t resist. Most delicious was the Chocolate Cortazar, a white, bittersweet and milk chocolate mousse, with mate ice cream and both chocolate and macadamia sauce. Desserts rarely surprise me with new flavors, but this particular one brought to life an unfamiliar, yet delicious sweetness – similar to honey but with more of a nutty flavor, which I assume was the “mate.” The overall dish was scrumptious and deceptively light after a load of savory food. The other desserts we ordered were, while beautifully plated, not too exciting as they didn’t involve ice cream or chocolate…and close friends know about my passion for those two things.Despite the scarce amount of appealing dessert choices, and an overly sweet and practically fruitless sangria, I had a great experience for Rayuela and would be back there again in a heartbeat. Whether just to have an inventive cocktail and a tasty appetizer, or to have a fun night with a group of friends, Rayuela is an awesome choice in a fun area – a posh restaurant positioned perfectly before a night out in the not so posh Lower East Side.

Grade: A-
Location: 165 allen street between rivington & stanton
Website: http://www.rayuelanyc.com

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February 19, 2010 · 3:05 am

Scarpetta….wow… WOW (the food).

Scarpetta, in my mind, is one of the most well-known Italian dining establishments in New York City. Mention Scarpetta to a past visitor and chances are they’re a die-hard fan. With such a reputation, Scarpetta has been on my Must Try list for ages, but getting a reservation at a reasonable hour is a struggle (“only 5pm or 10pm available this Tuesday…”). Finally, I was given the opportunity to check out this mysterious gem / long-time fantasy for a team gathering, and left ample belly space the day of to make sure I arrived capable and eager to taste enough to give this supposedly incredible a fair assessment. Fortunately I wasn’t paying :)
Scarpetta is in the heart of the Meatpacking District, so I expected the same sceney-swanky vibe like that of Buddakan, or Abe and Arthur’s, or other over-hyped (despite decent) restaurants in the area. I was immediately proven wrong – the vibrancy and “cool” factor is still there, but the soft colors and warming lighting give it a sense of both elegance and comfort lacking at most restaurants. No pumping house music in the background, no snooty bartenders, no warehouse ceilings, and last but not least, space for 5 at the bar! I was instantly quite impressed.
My perspective on the service is mixed. Our waiter was young, natural, and personable, totally open to our questions and obviously eager about the restaurant’s food. When he was around, he was charming and accommodating. However, when he disappeared, there was no sign of him ever returning. Wait time between courses was far too long, and simple requests for more wine or salt and pepper required a belting of “excuse me sir!” Probably to be expected due to the crowd – and it wouldn’t stop me from coming back again.
Ok ok, on to the food. Firstly and most importantly, the bread basket…Scarpetta basically had me at hello. Before even ordering our food, we were handed a bountiful basket of meat and cheese filled spirals, soft foccacia, and crusty Italian rolls with an array of ricotta-whipped butter, eggplant caponata, and olive oil. Rule of Thumb: Exceeded bread expectations generally equals start to an excellent meal.
After attempting to restrain myself from bread, I tried virtually everything that touched the table. Do the same if you have the stamina. To start, we ordered the Creamy Polenta with Truffed Mushrooms, the Raw Yellowtail, and the Tagliatelle with Truffles and Parmesan.
Each dish was simply yet beautifully plated and utterly delectable in their own right, but the Tagliatelle received by far the most attention. The pasta, creamy, silky, and buttery, sat under the biggest mound of shaved truffles I have ever witnessed. At $42, this dish is quite the treat but worth every penny, and totally justified compared to the typical claiming-to-be-truffle-filled courses that arrive with three microscopic black specs.
By main course time my belly was feeling quite full, but once the Black Cod with caramelized fennel and sundried tomatoes reached the table I was back in the game. With melt in your mouth texture, perfectly crispy skin, and delicate yet bold seafood flavor, this cod was probably one of the best Italian fish dishes I have ever tasted.

For a more simple, yet equally solid dish, I would recommend Scarpetta’s famous “Spaghetti Tomato & Basil” - sounds boring but the uniquely dense homemade noodles and light, yet ample tomato sauce make this dish seem unique.
The Roasted Chicken with parsnip puree was also very tender and flavorful, and another great picky-eater option. For the adventurous the Black Tagliolini with mixed seafood and sea urchin broth is a gold medal. While the dishes were on the heavier side, their unique flavors and textures made it worth rolling out of the restaurant at the end of meal. After dessert, that is.
I went a bit crazy for dessert – purely as a result of that incentive you get to eat more food once you’ve eaten so much already – like there’s no turning back so you just keep going, consequences totally out of mind. So, instead of ordering 1 for the table, I ordered 3: the Chocolate Cake (HOLY MOLY BEST CHOCOLATE DESSERT EVER), the Chestnut Cake with prune ice cream, and the Banana Budino (what is that?) with pecan gelato and oat tuile. My intention to try one bite of each absolutely failed after trying one bite of each. The chocolate cake had that intense, chocolate flavor that sadly is so rare in chocolate desserts, and the accompanying burnt orange caramel gelato really brought out its true flavors. Though the Chestnut Cake wasn’t my favorite, I’d definitely recommend it to those non-chocolate dessert fans (not sure who because I don’t associate with them).
Hopefully you’re convinced that Scarpetta’s label as a “must-try” is justified. If not, maybe the fact that I’m sitting here wishing for more truffled tagliatelle despite my stomach-pinching elastic pants gives you ample proof. If you visit Scarpetta, definitely reserve in advance and eat VERY lightly that day – it would be a shame if you didn’t have sufficient stomach space to taste the bounty of treats its menu has to offer!
Address: 355 West 14th Street near 9th avenue (near The Diner)

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Filed under Business Meal, Italian, Parents in Town, Romantic Date, Special Occasion

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