Del Posto 2

Everything about the tasting menu was fantastic. Everyone I was with thoroughly enjoyed everything they had. It would take me forever, as it already has to blog about it all. But I will give you some stand-out moments in my opinion.

Plain cheese ravioli doesn’t sound to exciting does it? I am actually not even a fan of it! But this was the most amazing sample of cheese ravioli I had ever had! You could tell the pasta was freshly made and what really made this dish was the tomato sauce. It tasted just like biting into perfectly ripe tomato, sweet and tangy. And maybe you would never bite into a tomato but you should!!!You could taste fresh basil throughout the sauce as well. One of my friends had the mussels and said they were the best he ever had. I had them served along with my lamb carpaccio which was fantastic as well. Lamb is such a great tasting meat, I hear its an acquired taste. I just started getting into it this year when I realized that’s meat that was in my beloved gyros! However the Ink-Marbled STRACCHIOTTE with Frutti di Mare alla Marinara, was actually forgettable for me. Its not that it wasn’t good, it just didn’t leave the same impression the ravioli did. I for one like black pasta, or the ink pasta so this was kind of disappointing.

Moving onto dinner everyone at the table got a different entrée. One person went for the duck, the other the venison, someone else went with pork, and I went with the Rare TUNA with Bresaola, Preserved Ventresca and Pumpkin Caponatina. Sounds fancy right? Well it was a very nice piece of tuna, it wasn’t cooked too much but more on the rare side as I like it. Everyone around the table raved about their entrees and at that point its what I expected!

After venturing into dessert we then were greeted with a cart full of different miniature pastries and candies. This was definitely a pleasant end to a wonderful dining experience. Being assigned our own sommelier, having the doors opened, the cabs summoned in the rain all made us feel like we had been somewhere else for the evening.

Del Posto

I have this stereotype of big name celebrity restaurants. They are usually small portions, stuffy staff members, and food that isn’t worth what you paid. Now some people may like that, it pumps up their ego be sitting at an over priced over hyped restaurant with the possibility of over-hyped celebrities sitting next to them. Not me! Most likely I will walk out of the restaurant wanting to hit Papaya Dog or Ruts Hut in Jersey! But for some reason I really wanted to give Mario Batali’s restaurant Del Posto a try. Probably because I have read his cookbooks and my Grandmother claims he is legit.

So after two years of trying I finally scored a restaurant week reservation. I had no idea I was in for the first true first class dining experience of my little 23 year old life! From the moment our cab pulled up to the door, Del Posto was full of pleasant surprises for me. Getting out of our cab the doorman rushed to cover us with an umbrella. Nice, but I wasn’t sold yet. I was thinking wait until the hostess looks me up and down, finds out my boots are from Banana Republic, and rejects my reservation. I walk through the doors after checking my coat and take in the two levels of wood, high ceilings and black white tiling. Three people look up from the island in the middle smile and ask my group how we are along with our reservation name. I didn’t feel like I didn’t belong or that they were disappointed that I wasn’t Linsday Lohan. We were ushered right to our seats!

I could go on and on about the wonderful service but I will just give an overview. Our waitress was very knowledgable. She gave out so much information at first that it was overwhelming, but she explained everything so well. Even when ordering different cheeses for the cheese platter she could explain everyone in detail. After every course our silverware was changed, and every person on the wait staff had knowledge about the food. We were even assigned our own sommelier. A younger guy, he was pretty hot, I am sure my boyfriend doesn’t appreciate that so moving on…

I sound like I am kid who was at Disneyworld for the first time, or someone who has never eaten outside of Applebees. That’s not the case; I guess I was just really surprised how great everyone was. Coming from the hospitality business myself I recognize how hard it is to come across good service.

So we decided to do the $95 dollar tasting menu. I know this wasn’t restaurant week pricing but it was worth it. They said the restaurant week menu was only for lunch which was wrong according to the Web site but I let it slide this time! And honestly I was floored it was worth every penny! I think this post is too long so I am going to break it up and say stay tuned for the food analysis!

Winter Restaurant Week '08 Intro

I have been wrestling about what my first post should be about for two weeks. If I keep this up I figure I am never going to write about anything. Plus my first posts are probably going to be least read!

I am sure most people in the Tri-state area have heard of New York Cities famed “Restaurant Week.” It usually happens in the winter and the summer each year. A bunch of restaurants agree to offer a prix-fixe menu priced at $35.00 in an effort to lure new customers into their establishments. The better part is it gives people a chance to eat at some big name restaurants such as The Gramercy Tavern, and Mercer Kitchen without the big name tab. Also, sometimes a big name restaurant doesn’t mean its good and it can turn out to be a disappointing experience so in the event that’s the case at least you are out $35.00 instead of $150.00. Let’s face it not everyone’s rolling with corporate cards or dating someone who is for that matter!

You can find out about Restaurant Week by keeping your eyes peeled and subscribing to helpful newsletter done by Zagats. Not only do you get notices about great new restaurant and bar openings around the city, but it will notify when Restaurant Week begins.

This past Restaurant Week I had the pleasure of having two fantastic experiences at Mercer Kitchen and Del Posto. Both of which I was skeptical to go into. Those reviews are coming up!

Finally Here!

This is my first official blog post! Obviously! I feel like I have so much unofficial food and restaurant information to share with you I don’t know where to begin. The purpose of this blog is not to annoy people with my personal beliefs on everything food. But rather to just give some insight on where I have been and what I have eaten. You can take it for what its worth and do with it what you please. What I may love, you may hate! But its always worth a try isn’t it? With all of the food blogs out there I highly doubt anyone is actually going to read mine seriously. But at least my food adventures are documented for my own sanity!

I guess I could give some quick background on myself to help you know where I am coming from! Let’s start with some disclaimers. As you may have figured out already I am horrible with grammar. So if you are a real grammar nut you probably end up real aggravated at me, I apologize in advanced. I am not a certified food critic, or have received any number of years at a culinary institute. I am just a little Italian girl interested in eating anything that’s edible, and learning how to cook it. Why am I so interested in food you may ask? It is probably because Italians center everything on food. It is an event and the glue that keeps family together. Also my father is famous for eating around the Tri-State area. Ask anyone about “Bucky” he is a legend. From the streets of Arthur Ave in New York City, to the delis of Lodi and Garfield, to any hot dog stand he is more than an old friend.

Hopefully through this blog you may find some great tips on where to eat, and bring some friends for a good time. And maybe even pick up some good recipes!