BABBO - NEW YORK CITY

RISTORANTE BABBO ENOTECA

NEW YORK CITY

We dined at Babbo during our last trip to New York.  During that dinner we were seated next to Joe Montana and Don Rickles.  This time we were next to a Mexican family and a few couples.  No starts to be seen but the food was a huge star.  We went all out with the Chef's Tasting Menu ($75).  This is a two and a half hour marathon of food and pleasure.  Worth every penny and then some.  Probably one of the best dinners we have ever had.  We said this the first time here and the second time we were not disappointed.  Keli ordered Pasta with a 1.5lb lobster ($28).  This huge dish of pasta with fresh lobster was absolutely delicious in every way.  The sauce was perfect, the fresh pasta was perfect and the lobster was tender and sweet.  You could not pry this plate off our table.  It stayed through the entire meal and we all continually picked at it between courses.  I would return again just for this dish.  The Traditional Tasting Menu consisted of:

Cutatello with Ramps and Pecorino.

Pappardelle with Chanterelles and Thyme

Duck Tortelli with "Sugo Finto"

Grilled Hanger Steak with Pumpkin " in Scapece" and Cipolline Agrodoice

Coach Farms Finest with Fennel Honey

Anise, Lemon and Honey Fig with Caciocavallo, Crespelle di Castagne and a Torta Caprese with Espresso Zabaiono and Vincotto.

The Ramps dish was the bomb.  A sweet pickled type leek that was so tasty.  The highlight of the entire menu was the Pappardelle with Chanterelles and Thyme.  The most simple dish in the world but the most delicious pasta we have ever had.  Fresh sheets of pasta covered in a butter sauce with Chanterelle mushrooms.  This dish was just incredible.  Like eating a piece of heaven.  We both were blown away by the simplicity and huge flavor.  Could eat this dish every single day and love it.  The other dishes were great too, but between the pasta with lobster and pasta with butter sauce we were just so happy.  I thought the waiter did an excellent job describing the food and also the wine pairings .  He took the time to tell me where the wine was from, how it was made and why it compliments the dish.
Click link below for another post on Babbo;
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2008/01/night-of-great-food-and-superstars.html

THIS IS A TASTE OF HAWAII FAVORITE AND TOP TEN IN MY LIFE.

BABBO

BABBO RESTAURANT IN NEW YORK

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST DISHES OF MY LIFE

BABBO RISTORANTE - NEW YORK

RISTORANTE BABBO 

110 Waverly Place
New York, NY

This is the flagship fine dining restaurant owned by celebrity chef Mario Batali. Mario is the host of the televsion cooking show "Molto Mario". After extensive research on the internet, we found that Babbo was consistantly showing up on the best restaurants lists for New York. Several "Best of" lists ranked it #2 in the city. We wanted to have some good Italian food so we put Babbo on our list and made a reservation several weeks in advance of our visit. Wow....we were lucky to make the reservation in advance because you will not get in this place without one. When our cab driver delivered us to the restaurant, we thought he had made a mistake. The place is located in what looks like a typical New York City home. No big sign, just a small front door. As we entered, we knew that we were not in someones home, rather one of the hottest spots in the city. The bar area at 6:00 p.m. was standing room only. The dining area was already packed and pumping with music and pasta. This is no ordinary Italian restaurant. The menu is filled with many items we have never experienced. Most are described in Italian so we had to get the waitress to help with ordering. After reviewing the menu in detail we opted for the Chef's Traditional Tasting Menu. This is a set four course dinner with three desserts. I had my dinner with a fantastic wine pairing. At $75 per person, this is a bit of a bargain for a night out at a great restaurant. Here is a sampling of the menu we enjoyed:

Babbo Culatello with Pumpkin "in Scapece"

Pappardelle with Hedghogs; Tyme (Totally awesome dish that blew us away)

Duck Tortelli with "Sugo Finto"

Grilled Venison with Acorn Squash Caponata and Mint

While the food and service were EXCELLENT, we were in for a real suprise when people were seated around us. The seating at Babbo is bench style along a long wall. This means that the people on the right and left side of you are basically sitting at your table. You can see and hear everything on both sides. There are no partitions. Just enough room between tables to snake a body through to sit down. While this is sometimes uncomfortable seating because you have no privacy, our night turned out to be quite incredible. Seated next to us was the superstar comedian DON RICKLES and Hall of Fame Quarterback JOE MONTANA. I could not believe my eyes. Here we are from Hawaii and having dinner in New York City. To the right is Don Rickles and to the left is Joe Montana. They were just eating good food like everyone else. After gaining some confidence from the vino, I finally asked Mr. Rickles if we could take a picture. He was very gracious, polite and humble. We talked about Hawaii and some of his work. What a great person. His wife and other couple with him were also very nice and offered to take the picture. Don then gave us a nice autograph and handshake. This is a class human being that has spent his lifetime making people laugh. We are so fortunate to have been able to meet and talk with him. Joe Montana on the other hand was a different story. His guest allowed us to take a quick photo, but no autographs or chatting. Just a nice hello - how are you.

This was a great evening for the family. I would highly recommend Babbo for the food and service. The celebrities are a lucky bonus.
Click link below to view another post of Babbo Ristorante:
http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2010/11/ristorante-babbo-enoteca-new-york-city.html

THE GREAT DON RICKELS SITTING NEXT TO US

JOE MONTANA SITTING WITH US