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4 Reviews:
One of the best dining experiences in Manhattan. All of the food is delicious (starting with the complimentary chick peas that are served before your appetizers even arrive), straight through the fresh pastas, to the entrees (my favorite is the branzino). Dishes are creatively prepared, but without over-the-top presentation. Wine list thicker than a yellow-pages -- let the sommelier guide you...
I usually share the experience with a close friend, but you could take a date, parents, or colleagues. Decor is rustic and a bit warm, but not dark. The only problem is the reservation system; must book a month in advance (and the reservations are gone by 10am each day). Good luck!
Can New Yorkers please end their love affair with Mario Batali? Babbo, his flag ship restaurant serves good, simple, Italian food. His denial of the importance of artisinal I am offended by based on the prices he charges. Put Babbo or any other Batali resturant in a decently sized Italian City, north or south, and it would be one among hundreds. Good food, not worth killing yourself for a reservation and perhaps not worth the price. One would think the Michelin guide would put more importance on ingredients and less on popularity. We had soft shell crab, which was well cooked. With an unispired carrot puree, and raw whole spring onions which contributed an assaulting spiciness to the dish. The skate, with pureed sqaush of some sort was heavy and lacked acid. It should not have been on the menu in June! Babbo is good for an Italian American Resturant. Mario Batali is great at marketing. The over the top popularity of restaurants like this remind remind me that even food culture in New York is light years behind that of the old world.
There is no question that the service is amazing. The perfectly attentive, well trained staff are a huge factor in what makes this restaurant so special.
That said, while the food was enjoyable, it did not blow me away. I've definitely had more memorable bites of gnocchi, bronzino, etc.
Not to say that any of the menu items at Babbo were bad, they just were satisfying in the simplest, most casual way food can be enjoyed, which must be what gives Babbo its charm to most.
For some, simple, good Italian food in the context of some of the best service and wine in New York is the perfect combination. For me, the highlight of the night (besides my wonderful dinner companions of course) was a winter vegetable salad with chicory--not enough in my book to convert me into a Babbo believer.
It was just as simple and straightforward as the other offerings, but surprisingly delicious in a way that defied its components; a trait that, for me, was missing in most other dishes.
Hmm, my one dining experience here was about 18 months ago, but I remember being really happy with at least two things:
(1) a flavorful and tender sweetbread appetizer that converted me into a sweetbread lover...
(2)... and a delicious "corn crema" dessert that was a wonderful pairing of creamy custard flavored intensely of sweet corn, with crispy cornmeal beignets, served with fresh berries. It was a very successful combination of flavors and textures, with both contrast (crunchy vs. creamy, sweet vs. tart) and harmony (the corn two ways).
And yes, the service was charming and solicitous, without being overbearing.
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