Italian – Page 4 – Writing With My Mouth Full

‘cesca

164 West 75th Street on Amsterdam Avenue
212/787.6300
$280 for four people with eight glasses of drinks, without tip
â™¥ â™¥ â™¥

Ah, the upper west side, you keep surprising me. ‘cesca has been on our list of places to eat for the past year because Cameron lives around the corner. After Telepan, I’m more confident to pick a restaurant in the upper west side even if it bills itself as a family-owned Italian restaurant. (I don’t have any good experiences to write about family-owned Italian restaurants in Little Italy and the space next door has turned over more than I can count.) The ‘cesca menu looked good the first time I read it from the outside of the restaurant and it looked good the night we visited. Four of us were seated in the wine nook; a table fit for ten became our own private space for three hours. The sommelier, a giant with a short ponytail, selected for us a light red wine after our glasses of Prosecco.

The octopus sopressata, so called because it’s dried, pressed and sliced thinly, reminded me of the octopus carpaccio we ate in Prague. The pickle-ly taste offset the bitter mustard greens. I couldn’t pass up the chance to try their veal meatballs. They were served in a clear, hot broth, perfect for the harsh temperature outside. The Parmigiano gave it a beefier, fuller taste. We also shared a third appetizer, the escarole salad with tuna, fennel and pomegranates. While we waited for our two main dishes, we were served a complimentary course of faro wheat. We didn’t really understand how we became so lucky, but our waiter quietly mentioned Babbo when we asked. I think he overheard us talking out our most recent experience at Babbo and appreciated the fact that we like our authentic Italian food. (I think taking photos of food really helps.) The special of the night was a seafood risotto and we divided that with a rack of lamb chops and servings of broccoli rabe and roasted Brussel sprouts that tasted like fresh potato chips. To tell you the truth, I enjoyed my medium-rare lamb so much I don’t even remember tasting the risotto. During our espressos, we split the panna cotta with mixed fruit compote and the warm chocolate cake with crÃ©me fraiche. I really won’t make fun of the upper west side again.

Frankie’s 457

457 Court Street off 4th Place, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
718/403.0033
about $150 for four, with a bottle of wine, without tip, cash only
♥ ♥

Update, February 2009: I had a lovely weekday lunch here with gnocchi and meatballs. Both were in tomato sauce that had their own tastes. (It wold have sucked if they used the same sauce for two different dishes, no?) The salads–fennel, celery root and arugula with mozarella–were brightened by a squeeze of lemon juice and good olive oil. They were simple and just made me very happy.

We walked in Sunday night for an early dinner and Frankie’s was already packed. We were seated in the restaurant in the back, a separate space mainly used for private parties. The main dining room seemed homey with guests eating sandwiches and crostinis, but the back felt more comfortable with only five tables. After they turned down the music volume in the back, we felt like we were having our own small dinner party at home.

Frankie’s menu showcases the same comfort food I’ve gotten used when dining in Brooklyn. There were no seafood selections, which disappointed me a bit, because I was in the mood for fish after celebrating Thanksgiving. The home-made cavatelli with hot sausage and browned sage butter was excellent. The roast loin of pork with broccoli rabe and pine nut polenta was hearty and filling. The desserts could use a little excitement though, because sometimes tiramisu, creme brulÃ©e and cheessecake just don’t quite cut it.

Otto Pizzeria e Enoteca

One Fifth Avenue on 8th Street
212/995.9559
$90 for three, with several drinks, with tip
♥ ♥

When a group of my friends and I just want a laid-back night with good food but can’t afford the other Batali establishments, we end up at Otto where we can eat thin-crust pizzas cooked on a flat-iron griddle. My favorite is the funghi and taleggio pizza with earthy mushrooms and fragrant taleggio cheese. The fennel with bottarga, or Italian caviar, showered with mozarella and pecorino pizza is also delicious. For those who want something more familiar, the classic marinara and pepperoni pizzas are also available as well as smaller pasta dishes like penne, spaghetti and linguine. We spend most of our money in antipasti like prosciutto, octopus, tomato and mozarella salad and the anchovies.

The service is brisk especially when the place is hopping on weekends. If you prefer to skip the dining room, there are tables at the bar where you can just stand and hover over your food and Italian wine. During one visit, our waiter bumped into our table and spilled water all over my brother’s lap. They apologized by bringing him a complimentary beer and dessert afterwards. It’s not Babbo, but your wallet will gladly thank you for it.

Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca

110 Waverly Place between MacDougal and Sixth
212/777.0303
about $900 for six, with a lot of drinks, with tip
â™¥ â™¥ â™¥ â™¥

For my annual pilgrimage, I was diligent and booked a table exactly thirty days from our dinner date to get a prime spot at 9pm for six people. It was to celebrate Cameron’s and Peter’s birthdays. I’d like to think that for friends, I’m extra thoughtful.

There is no need to explain why I’m giving Babbo yet another four. I’ll let these photos do their job:

There was also the marinated fresh sardines with caramelized fennel and lobster oil, the epic grilled octopus with “Borlotti Marinati” and spicy limoncello vinaigrette and the spaghettini with spicy budding chives, sweet garlic and a one-pound lobster, the unforgettable lamb’s brains, plus three other desserts and three bottles of a rosÃ© champagne and red wine. After four hours, we were way above our heads to even recall every detail. It was a very good night. I love me some Mario Batali.

Del Posto

85 Tenth Avenue on 16th Street
212/497-8090
$810 for six, with a few drinks, with tip
♥ ♥

The latest from the Batali-Bastianich empire, Del Posto’s staircase, marble floors and plush seating all scream money. You walk past the valet (!) through the lobby and it’s like you’re in someone’s mansion outside of New York. Its 18,000-square-foot space is larger than any of their other New York City restaurants and showcase extravagance, if not gaudiness. The menu prices scream dollar signs, too.

The antipasto misto of cheese, olives and prosciutto cost us $66 and the bis, two pastas also divided in six servings cost us a whopping $126. My squab was too rare for my taste but I held back in telling the kitchen because the accompanying wine, Feudi Taurasi 1999, made up for it. The pork chop had just the right amount of sweetness with the figs and caramelized onion on the side and I must say that the lamb loin was very good. The cod was meaty and perfectly tender.

The food could have been from any other high-priced restaurant in the city. Nothing really stood out for me to exclaim, This is so Batali. My lamb sweetbreads were a delight and the calf’s liver–unfortunately served as a main course–were so light and tasty. But where were the lamb’s tongue and the pig trotters I’ve been hearing about? They were probably in the $100 tasting menu we passed up or maybe they were the specials our server forgot to tell us about.

But for an early 6:30pm table of six women, the service was exemplary. Our sommelier needs to be commended for helping us pick champagne (a Philipponnat) and two bottles of red wine without flinching at our budget ($60-$65 per bottle). When we started with the bubbly, we mentioned that we’re celebrating a birthday. At the end of our meal, they brought one of our desserts with a candle without us having to request it. Needless to say, the birthday girl was quite pleased.