Made it to A Voce tonight for a last minute (and late) dinner. Gotta say, it was one of the best meals I have had in a long time. Previously on this board there was a debate as to whether it qualifies as 'Italian.' Hmm, who the hell cares. I sure don't. The food, regardless of category, speaks for itself and it speaks very highly at that. Started with the now ubitquitous duck meatballs. Every bit as good as everyone says. Rich, meaty and oh ever so slightly gamey. Tempered beautifully by the sweet cherries and smooth, silky, mellow celery root puree. Carne crudo was, in this iteration, a quasi Italianified steak tartare. It was, as tartare should be, fresh and punctuated by a nuttiness courtesy of walnut oil, i think. Garnished with shaved parm and a simply adorned arugula salad. Straightforward flavors, but good. We opted for one pasta dish, but it was certainly worth it. Spaghetti with ramps, American speck, peas and favas. What can I say but near perfection. It was wonderful. Al dente pasta, salty and smoky speck, rich parmesan sauce, essence of allium from the ramps and a little punctuation of spring in the form of peas and favas. Just great. Think of it as a carbonara for spring. Possibly my favorite dish of the night. From the pasta we moved on to the octopus with lemon and pepperonata and the veal tongue with frisse and lentils. The octopus was quite tasty. The chewiness was nicely contrasted by a charry crunch courtesy of a quick grilling. With the pepperonata I was expecting something along the lines of an agrodolce, but it turned out to be more of a riff on piperade with a little smoke and heat. Good combination. The lemon, though, was a bit distant. I was amazed by how tender the veal tongue was. I'm not sure how they did it, but it was great. The earthy lentils were piqued by just the right amount of vinegary (probably sherry) acidity. For a fish dish we tried the steamed black bass in Ligurian shellfish broth. The bass was very nicely done. Broth was verdant and herby and light but full of flavov. There was a wonderful theme of spring with new potatoes, more favas and crunchy snap peas. While not the best dish of the evening it was, on its own, quite good. Almost refreshing. Finished up with the roast veal for two. I have to admit I'm not a veal person (the people I was with wanted to order it) but this could get me to change my mind. Perfectly cooked, incredibly tender and loaded with flavor. Absolutely the best veal chop I've ever had. Oh, we also had a contorni of mushrooms. Mixed wild mushrooms. Earthy and rich. Great flavor. Desserts were good as well. Chocolate pannacotta was an idealized state of chcoclate pudding. Tiramisu, yes, tiramisu, was great. Bombolini (little doughnut holes) and chocolcate sauce were light, airy, yeasty and satisfying. Had a cheese plate: pecorino toscano, robiola la bosina and gorgonzola cremificato. All very good, especially the robiola. Nice selection of condiments: fig compote, toasted walnuts, green tomato mostarda, and honeycomb. It was truly an amazing meal from start to finish. Props go out to AC and his crew. The kitchen is just clicking. Service was very professional and courteous as well. Beware, contrary to so many new NY restaurants there is no pretense. It's just good, uncomplicated, straightforward, delicious food. If you don't look for that in a dining experience I can't recommend it. If you eat for taste, though, give it a try.