PrintThe Best Italian Restaurant Nobody Knows
I've had two terrific, fairly priced Italian meals in the last two weeks at a restaurant owned by a celebrity chef. Excellent pastas, solicitous service, superb if slightly oversalted skirt steak, extraordinarily delicious pork tenderloin, and killer sorbets and gelato for dessert. Oh yeah, the foccaccia rocks, too.
Now if they would only do something about the piano player. He can play, but he seems like he should be playing at Doubles, or some other bar on the upper east side. But the restaurant is blessedly quiet. You can converse easily with your dining companions.
Pastas are $12-15, main courses are all less than $23. The tasting menu is $41.
I'm not going to tell you the name of the celebrity chef or even the name of the restaurant. This restaurant only takes reservations starting at ten in the morning for the same day, and it hasn't been full either time I've been there.
Call this number, 212-672-0390, listen to the silly music that plays while you wait for someone to answer, eat there, and tell me what you think.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
4 Comments:
Ed
saw your del posto enotecca review.... I wish you wouldn't send people THERE.... it will soon be as crowded as the Babbo bar area (which I no longer bother with even though I love the food).
I agree that the food at DPE rocks...
john
polisax at 10:58AM on 09/26/06
What tasting menu is $41? WHen I was there it was $100 per person.
v_marie at 8:57AM on 09/29/06
Dear Ed:
Thanks! We called the number (thankfully did not have to endure any music) and were graciously given a table at the exact time we wanted at Enoteca at Del Posto.
First of all, what a beautiful space. The welcome could not have been warmer. We were seated at a large and comfortable table and attended to right away. The menu was lovely and the Prix Fixe is certainly the best deal in town.
For firsts we tried the tuna carpaccio and the squid, each delicious. Significantly better than the ubiquitious copies available throughout the city. We also had an additional starter of Coppa and Melon, brilliant flavors. For pasta, we had the raviolini and the gnocci. The stuffed pasta was superb, though the gnocci was a little tough and we did not like the bolognese which tasted a little like chef Boyardee. The house made bread was addictive, the softened butter perfect, though the lardo tasted like something you would color your hair with.
The main course pork was well prepared and the accompanying greens were amazing. Unfortunately, the Cod was disgusting. The alleged "baccala" tasted a lot like Desinex ointment. However, the entire expericece was so lovely that a misstep with a dish or two will not keep us from returning again and again.
The wine pairing was generous and apt, and it would be hard to buy the wines retail for the price they charged at Del Posto.
That dessert was included almost make us feel guilty, and that they paired the dessert with wine for the $19 they charged to pair each course of the $41 meal with wine made us want to go to confession before we left.
Of course, the cherry on the sundae was a visit from Lidia herself. Gracious and beautiful in her red leather jacket. To a person, the staff was professional and friendly and the experience was far more civilized than the avarage meat packing district extravaganza.
Enoteca at Del Posto provided an extrodarinary experience at an ordinary price.
Thanks again,
Steve
StevenLSal at 11:23PM on 10/18/06
Ed, thanks for the tip. I went Saturday night and had one of the 5 most delicious meals of my entire life.
Peter at 8:51PM on 01/22/07