Tag Archives: italian

May 22, 2013 · 10:13 am

Babbo: the special italian gem that never gets old

babbo

Ohh Babbo. I  love everything about this place. I love that it’s tucked away in a Greenwich village townhouse. I love the round table that anchors the space with cheese, wine and gorgeous fresh flowers (same flower director as Gramercy Tavern). I love the beautiful bar upfront, and I love the exposed staircase that leads to the second floor. I also love that they seat parties of 2 next to side by side in some booths. And lastly, but most importantly, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the food!

So, you all know I am a sucker for Italian food, but this I promise you is above and beyond in deliciousness. It’s not any more complex than you would expect, but the chef embraces each ingredient so carefully that you can’t help but cherish the flavor intensity. Absolutely delicious. If you can’t get a reservation (it’s still the hot commodity it always was), go early and sit at the bar.

While every dish I’ve had here has wowed me, the one that I order every time (when it’s on the menu) is the homemade mozzarella with grilled leeks on rustic Italian bread. You can’t go wrong with any of the pastas, and the incredible desserts (which in my opinion is a rarity for Italian restaurants) makes it the perfect spot for a special, celebratory occasion.

burrata special

burrata special

chickpea fritters with ricotta salata

chickpea fritters with ricotta salata

asparagus and fried pancetta tagliatelle

stinging nettle fettuccine with asparagus and fried pancetta 

simple spaghetti with bottarga

simple spaghetti with bottarga

black sea bass

wild striped bass with watercress pesto

way too much dessert

way too much dessert – the cheesecake is mind-blowing

special cookie plate

special cookie plate

Babbo is a little more on the fancier end of the spectrum of Italian restaurants, but don’t be fooled by the white table cloths and formal service – the food is pure, straight forward, Italian goodness. I can’t wait to return.

Grade: A+
Location: 110 Waverly Place btwn 6th Ave & Macdougal Street
Website

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February 3, 2013 · 3:50 pm

Morandi: the consummate bustling brasserie-style Italian meal

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Keith McNally has his formula down right. No matter what the cuisine, his restaurants are jam-packed, lively, loud, wide open and all operated like well-oiled machines. His reservation line is centralized, his hosts are professionals at gauging wait times, and menus, drinks, bread baskets, and food comes out like clockwork. If you’re working here, there’s no room for friendly chit chat. It’s “here are the specials, I’ll be back, okay what would you like, is everything okay, here are the dessert menus, would you like anything else, here is the check,” and “thank you for dining with us.”

So, it may not be the most personal or intimate experience – his places are not for the volume sensitive – but damn his food is always straight forward and spot on. Last night at Morandi, after copious amounts of bread and olive oil, I enjoyed every (over-priced) dish that I tasted. The crispy fried artichokes, mozzarella with speck and figs, apple fennel salad with sheep’s milk cheese, broccoli rabe bruschetta, fettucine with shrimp, kale and squash, apple crepes with ice cream and the cookie plate were all hits. The standout however, was something sent out by the chef – hot, utterly crisp wedges of fried polenta with a ceramic dish of baccala covered in black truffles. Now, baccala never sounds good to me – salt cod mushed together with oil and a few other things – but this had huge flakes of fish and tasted like heaven atop the sensually smooth triangles of polenta. Buttery, salty, divine.

inside view (from Timeout NY)

inside view (from Timeout NY)

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fried artichokes

perfectly soft mozzarella with figues and speck

perfectly soft mozzarella with figues and speck

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bruscetta, salad, and wine in a basket (my favorite)

broccoli rabe close up

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decadent fried polenta with chunky baccala and truffles
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fettuccine – slightly overcooked noodles but subtly buttery and delicious

apple crepes with mascarpone ice cream

apple crepes with mascarpone ice cream

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absolutely unnecessary cookie plate, but dainty and tasty nonetheless

Prices are high for an Italian restaurant ($30+ entrees), but come for the energy, the unquestionably solid food, the variety, and the feeling of being alive (unless you ate as much as I did and have to hail a cab for a 3 block walk).

Grade: A
Location: 211 Waverly Place
Website

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January 22, 2013 · 2:55 am

Peasant: rustic and romantic in the heart of Soho

I loved the idea of Peasant – cozy, fireplace and pizzas in Soho – but the reality did not live up to my expectations. Saturday night, my boyfriend and I had a casual meal at the bar, and while the pizza was undeniably delicious (what cheese-laden flatbread isn’t?), the skate was swimming in garlicky oil, the broccoli raab was so chewy it was inedible, and the squid, which oddly tasted just like the fish, was rubbery and uninteresting. The food wasn’t blasphemous, it just wasn’t notably great. I do appreciate the simplicity of the menu – Peasant doesn’t aim to wow with originality and party tricks – but if a restaurant’s going for comfort food, it can’t be anything short of perfect (Barbuto knows how it’s done). I’m a sucker for inviting, low-lit, family-style restaurants so I’d likely return just to be back in the warmth on a winter’s day after shopping. Like Hearth, they craft the feeling of homeyness beautifully with complimentary bread and ricotta cheese, the right lighting, reddish tones and an open kitchen. Hopefully my second attempt at eating here won’t be as unremarkable.

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pizza bianca

Grade: B
Location: 194 Elizabeth Street between Spring and Prince
Website

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January 21, 2013 · 2:28 am

Featured City Post: SPQR in San Francisco

SPQR

I’ve been trying to make a trip to SPQR from the moment I discovered it on my stroll down Fillmore street a few years back. Long waits and few open reservation availability always held me back, but I finally had my chance early this Monday after a plane right from New York and a long day at work. Small plate Italian Mediterranean food in a cozy modern space is exactly what I wanted to calm my email-cluttered mind and plane-food filled belly. Wine is a priority here, as proven by the ceiling-high rack behind the bar that reveals the restaurant’s copious selection of Italian wine. Food does not pale in comparison – sharing is a must because there’s just too much good stuff to bypass.

Fortunately, I was with people who embraced tasting and exploration, which was a blessing considering the three additional specials that made me even more unsettled about narrowing down my options. Sitting at the chef’s table didn’t help the situation either – every dish they fired became my new order just because it looked so irresistible. From start to finish we scored homeruns, starting with the beautifully composed chicory lettuce, almond, goat cheddar and pear butter salad - a plate of greens so beyond the boring, I actually considered it one of the best parts of the meal. The crab-quinoa salad was just as special; the quinoa was cooked to a crisp, rolled and connected two generous heaps of beautiful lump crab meat dressed in a light, tangy vinaigrette. The pastas stole the show as I expected given the sheer uniqueness of every option;  the parsnip tortelli with espresso-aged cheese and mushrooms unleashed a heart-warming brown buttery scent that was almost as decadent as its rich and earthy taste, and the smokiness of the swordfish mezzaluna with dill made it one of the most interesting pastas I’ve tried. We rounded our meal off with a perfectly seared arctic char and mushroom budino, essentially a dense compilation of buttery mushrooms and breadcrumbs, otherwise known as my heaven.

chicory salad

chicory salad

crab and quinoa salad

crab and quinoa salad

swordfish mezzaluna

swordfish mezzaluna

mushroom tortelli

mushroom tortelli

seared arctic char

seared arctic char

dessert.

Dessert at places with beautifully composed food could always use more ice cream, but I still remember it being tasty. Sadly, not remarkable enough for me to remember what exactly it was..but that may have just been a result of devouring my tiny glass of marsala wine.

The experience of tasting food prepared by such highly skilled chefs cooking right in front of me is definitely an undervalued one; I would have paid a premium just for the entertainment value. It’s like tasting the wine when you’re at the vineyard – it’s so much more memorable and delicious when you can see where and how exactly it’s prepared. It’s as if you’re involved in the process. Next time I’m in San Francisco, I’m definitely coming back to SPQR, and I’m no doubt requesting the same seat. Tables are for grown-ups seeking focused conversation!

Grade: A+
Location: 1911 Fillmore Street between Bush and Pine
Website
*top photo from starchefs.com

 

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November 22, 2012 · 3:53 pm

Kitchen Adventures: Pre Thanksgiving Grub

In light of the biggest food (and absolute best) holiday of the year, I feel compelled to report on the wonderful pre-Thanksgiving, stomach-expansion carb and wine fest I took part in last evening. This year, I decided to take a breather from my bi-weekly cross-country flights and spend Turkey Day with Sonia at her beautiful beach side home in Black Point, CT. And I wouldn’t just spend it with any of my “families away from family” – Sonia’s family just happens to have some of the best home chefs around, and the entire clan loves to feast as much as I do. So, thousands of miles away from my west-coast parents in beautiful Black Point, Connecticut, I feel right at my food-loving home.

After arriving from Grand Central yesterday afternoon, stopping by a local cheese shop, settling in and sipping chugging wine, Sonia’s brother Austin whipped up a fresh pasta of charcoal-grilled kale, leeks, and asparagus for dinner. By 8:30pm we were stuffed to the brim with pasta, warm asiago focaccia, and the pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I had transported from my Manhattan Kitchen. The cookies were a hit, but that didn’t stop Austin from slathering them with sweet cream butter to give them that extra “za-za-zoom.”

gearing up for the big day

the usual activity of…waiting for dinner time

Editor in Action

sunset at Old Black Point

Chef Austin (Sonia’s bro) tossing pasta

pre-sauce

Final product: farfalle with barbecued leeks, asparagus and kale

butter slathered cookie

I woke up with my usual “I ate too much” stomach and “what was I thinking the night before Thanksgiving” feeling, but after a morning seaside run and a coffee, I am ready to conquer another day of feasting. Obviously. Stuffing and sweet potato cheesecake, here I come!!

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November 21, 2012 · 4:10 am

Sofia’s Wine Bar: hidden gem in east 50′s

The last restaurant I expected to find in the East 50′s was a cozy, authentic italian wine bar, so when my friend Ashley requested an unheard of Sofia’s WIne Bar for her last hurrah before moving to SF, I arrived prepared for a mediocre meal. That all changed the second I stepped up the brick staircase to find the native Italian waitstaff calming crowds of people anxiously awaiting tables with free prosecco. What a diamond in the midtown-east rough. It’s worth the hour plus wait for a table on a Saturday night (no reservations here), and  in the midst of an awesome blasting hipster playlist, you can chow down an array of piping hot, sharable, affordable, rustic, and delicious Italian-American eats. Our table of five devoured two orders of the addictive creamy artichoke spinach dip, burrata, arugula pizza, stuffed mushrooms, macaroni and cheese, a cheese plate, and of course, a warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. Bottles of prosecco flooded our table throughout. While I could have made more of an effort to lay off of the cheese laden dishes, I left tipsy, stuffed, and ready to come back for great energy, even better food, and even more impressive service. The space is cramped, so smaller groups are better. Regardless, this East Village transplant is definitely worth a special trip.

spinach artichoke dip

crostini

mac & cheese

pizza pizza – amazing here!

Grade: A+
Location: 242 east 50th street between 2nd & 3rd ave

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September 25, 2012 · 2:41 am

Lupa

inside*

I love Lupa not because it’s a baby of Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, but because it meets many of my quick-hit top priorities for a last minute restaurant choice: walk-in friendly, central down-town location (Greenwich Village), cozy, plentiful bar seating, a full bar, and a wide variety of traditional, simple Roman trattoria food. Last week, after a long flight home and a quick stop at my friend Sara’s house-warming / birthday (also serving Italian food, but from Gigino, the epitome of traditional (think Mafia) New York Italian food), I sat at the bar for a lovely date with New York City. In perfect viewing perspective of  the diverse cluster of pasta-eaters – either alone at the bar, across their lover, or in a big group at the communal table,  I realized Lupa is the perfect place to sit and dwell on three things I love about this city – food, people watching and anonymity.

After a glass of wine my stomach turns into a vacuum and I can consume pretty much anything in sight. The painfully-full feeling was worth it though – the tangy farro and wild mushroom salad, the charred mackeral with grapefruit, the bucatini all’Amatriciana, and the spaghetti alla carbonara all brought me back to the rustic plates of food I devoured for a month in Italy so long ago. But the biggest standout for me, as it usually is, was dessert. The Lupa Tartufo isn’t just any old Italian tartufo. It’s a huge heap of ice cream contained in a thick, hard, bittersweet chocolate shell on a bed of warm melted chocolate, which makes a traditionally boring dessert incredibly beautiful and decadent. The salted caramel ice cream was to die for as well.

carbonara*

Amatriciana*

Tartufo

Lupa. Total classic. Casual, unpretentious, tres New York Italian (launched circa 1999). Love it!

Grade: A
Location: 170 Thompson Street off of East Houston
Website
*photos from NYTimes

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August 13, 2012 · 3:57 am

The Meatball Shop

You wouldn’t think a small shop specializing in one item would blow up to become New York’s greatest obsession since the cupcake and bacon desserts. The two bald-headed owners Dan Holzman and Michael Chernow opened their first place in the East Village just a few years ago, and since then people have been popping in from the tri-state area to get chicken, pork, beef and even vegetarian meatballs from morning until 4am (on weekends) in all three locations. With one conveniently situated.5 miles from my apartment, it’s hard for me to remotely consider the nearby mix of trendy restaurants like Morandi and L’Artusi for meatballs when I can get them at this cozy spot for 1/10 of the price.

sliders

I went last week at 6pm with no problem getting a table, and instead of ordering my usual – the three sliders, all with different balls – I ordered a plate of vegetarian balls with two sides. I chose the market salad and the steamed spinach, but the broccoli and special salad with a creamy dressing, pecans, and radicchio was my favorite. Don’t judge my order – I had a deal with my date that we would trade a ball for ball, so I got a chicken one with mushroom gravy as well. After eating the nut-loaded, someone undigestible vegetarian balls with red sauce, I confirmed that the best part of this place is its concept and ice cream sandwiches. The food is great – no doubt about that – but the success lies all in the simplicity of the clearly outlined whiteboard-style menu that gives you limited variations of one very special food, which makes the process of selecting and circling your order a breeze. The pick-your-ice-cream-and-cookies ice cream sandwiches are ridiculous. Salted caramel and chocolate? Forget about it. Next time, I’m going for the gold – beef (I know…but get over it) with red sauce and cheese on a hoagie, followed by an ice cream sandwich the size of my face.

delish

 

massive ice cream sandwich – just $5!

Grade: A-
Location: 64 Greenwich Ave between 6th and 7th Ave
Website: http://www.meatballshop.com

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July 4, 2012 · 6:38 am

Rosemary’s

I walked into Rosemary’s in disbelief of its size, grandeur, and beauty. Considering the tiny, awkwardly-shaped restaurants in the village and the hideous Party Store it replaced, the restaurant’s aesthetic is seriously astounding. Everything from the hanging lights, the rooftop garden, the spacious dining room, huge windows, and the light wooden furniture is beautiful. I would be so proud to call this restaurant my own, but an inside source tells me it was an incredibly expensive investment. I can see why. Fortunately, after having a wonderful italian meal in a setting that brought me back to Napa, I truly think this place is going to kill it. Brunches will no doubt incur the long waits seen around dinner.

Because I went with my bf who seems to have had a working relationship with everyone in the industry, we were given a great corner table and were totally overfed. Definitely no complaints here! One of the coolest things about the menu is the wine list – all glasses are $10, and all bottles are $40. How simple? While this leads me to believe that probably at least 80% of the wines retail at far less than $40 to help their profit margin, I welcome the minimized distractions while making my wine choice. Rosemary’s classifies itself as a wine bar, but its menu shows that “wine bar” is by far an underestimate. Yes, the food is priced affordably just like a wine bar, but the selection, which includes meats, cheeses, pastas, focaccia and mains, is much more varied. I got overly excited after seeing the list of homemade focaccia and house mozzarella, my absolute favorite thing in the world. We ordered those right away. The focaccia was soft on the inside, crispy with coarse salt on the outside, with the perfect stretch of melted cheese in the middle. I could have happily demolished this myself and forgotten about the rest.

focaccia and homemade cheese

Then came a selection of verdure, including a tangy eggplant caponata, raw zucchini, and an over-salted cauliflower. The octopus panelle was the most original thing we tried – very thinly sliced salami-style octopus with a pickled vegetable (forgetting which one because at this point I had chugged my prosecco considering the 95 degree weather). For our main, we were served two simple pastas: a lemon linguine and a cavatelli with ricotta and sweat peas. Though I much prefer long pasta to cavatelli, the lemon linguine was a little too reminiscent to lemon meringue pie for my taste. The cavatelli, however, was perfect – dense, creamy, and brightened with fresh summer peas. Absolutely delicious!

cavatelli

The food was great, with some misses due to over-seasoning. But to be honest, even if the food had been horrible, I’d give it a second chance purely because of this places undeniable beauty. It is the quintessential, naturally lit summer spot that will cozy up perfectly in the winter. Good thing it’s only steps from my apartment!

Grade: A
Location: 18 Greenwich Ave 
Website: not yet listed

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June 7, 2012 · 11:59 pm

La Bottega @ The Maritime Hotel

outside at lunch

Today, my manager was kind enough to take me out to an impromptu lunch to enjoy the sun and get out of the office, something we rarely do given we have 4 cafeterias at our fingertips as Google employees. We’re spoiled, but there’s really something priceless about exiting the building and disengaging for an hour for lunch. In Brazil, sitting down for lunch is not even a question – no one eats at their desk. They sit for a proper 1.5 hours, with an appetizer, main course, dessert, and coffee, and no one dares talk about work. Welcome to the US where eating at your desk is the new answer to efficiency (but really, who can really eat a delicious meatball sandwich and think strategically at the same time?).

Anyway, we decided to go to La Bottega, which is not only steps from my office, but also has a beautiful outdoor space for optimal sun exposure. I’ve been here countless times and the main thing that keeps me coming back is the ridiculous complimentary hot rounds of garlic and cheese-covered pizza dough that arrives to the table right after sitting. The pizzas are also delicious, but today we ordered two salads – the artichoke with radicchio and white truffle oil, and the farro with mozzarella, orange, and mint, both flavorful and delicious. The artichoke was served like a slaw – raw and thinly sliced, flavored with thin shavings of parmesan. The farro salad was lovely; the grains were dense, generously dressed with balsamic and olive oil, and tossed with large hunks of fresh mozzarella. Divine!

salads combined on one plate – tables are tiny

We then moved on to the tramezzini: italian finger sandwiches served with mixed greens. We got the bresaola (our waiter hardly knew what this was) with parmesan and arugula, and the tuna with mashed garbanzo beans. The sandwiches are served as three sections on soft, grilled white bread. I was a little disappointed by the straight up bagged-sliced bread, but I loved the tuna sans mayo – the mayo in most tuna is SO unnecessary, and this tuna had texture and flavor without being an oily mess. The bresaola was a little salty with the parmesan – I would have preferred it with mozzarella, but it had a flavorful bite that many cured meat and aged cheese lovers would have flaunted over.

tuna sandwich

La Bottega is the bomb. It has quick service, a beautiful al fresco setting for outdoor eating, and solid, affordable italian food. Our entire lunch was only $40. It’s also great for after work drinks – try the champagne cocktail!

Grade: A-
Location: 88 9th Avenue between 16th & 17th
Website: http://www.themaritimehotel.com

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