Babbo (First 6 Years)

[Beachfan]

What a relief.  I've been away, and when I saw how the heading, and the number of responses, I thought some bizarre post-WTC economic fallout had hit Babbo and they were serving rubber chicken.

Living in LA gives a unique perspective on water:

NYC tap water is delicious.  It's part of why NYC food is delicious.

I expect that, when you order bottled water, without further comment, you are doing so for the duration of the meal.  As long as they don't top everyone's glasses before the end of the meal, it's appropriate to keep on bringing  it - ASSUMING no other communication to the contrary.  That doesn't mean it's the right practice, just what I expect.

Finally, I hate Evian and love Pellegrino (former tastes like chalk, the later crisp and clear).  I've loved it every since my first visit to Italy in 1970.  I'm happy to report it's more common in Southern France than Badoit!

[voberoi]

Managed to snag a reservation for two at Babbo (Fri night). We reached the rest 45 min early but were seated within 5 min nevertheless. Excellent.

We asked our waiter about recommendations. We really wanted to sample a lot of dishes - so we naturally gravitated toward the tasting menu - there were two listed (a regular one and a pasta tasting). My wife used to be a vegetarian who converted to the dark side after having Guy Savoy's tasting menu at his flagship restaurant in Paris last year. However, she tends to stay away from red meat. Unfortunately for me we were informed that we could not try both the pasta tasting menu (largely vegetarian) and the regular tasting menu (we did that at Lespinasse about a month ago with excellent results). That sounds too inflexible a policy. Oh well, we settled on the pasta tasting menu after we were informed that we could order a vegetarian version. Good enough. A few minutes later, the waiter returned to inform us that they had stopped offering vegetarian pasta tasting anymore. Back to the drawing board. At this point, our waiter seemed a little annoyed – that was a strange feeling that I have never experienced at fine restaurants in NY before. It was not our fault that they were being inflexible. We ignored him (and he did the same). We went ahead with the pasta tasting. My wife also ordered the accompanying wine tasting.

Black Taliatelle with Parsnips and Pancetta in a buttery sauce – Excellent combination of textures and a smooth warm flavor overall. Very good. Pinot Plus from Bastianich (crisp and refreshing).

Bitter greens and Sorrel Ravioli with Scallion Butter – From here on, we realized that the level of pasta Mr. Batali and his team are putting out is clearly on another level. The ravioli was like butter and combined with the bitter greens for a subtle yet sophisticated flavor. Muller-Thurgau “Vigna Palai” was the wine – do not ask me about it, it was really nice.

Garganelli with Funghi Trifolati – The mushrooms were the stars of this excellent concoction accompanied by Ciro Rossa “Donna Madda”

Gnocchi with Duck Ragu – If my wife says it was good and ate all the duck in it – you better believe it was fantastic. Melt in your mouth gnocchi with minimal of sauce with ground duck in it. I was delirious at this point. Valpolicella Ripasso “Santo Stefano” from Boscaini, a smoky red wine that complimented it perfectly.

Pappardelle Bolognese – A little bit too salty but the pappardelle was just about as perfect as it can get. The Bolognese sauce was amazing. We ended up leaving quite a bit on the plate and complained to the waiter that there was too much salt in it. He just kind of shrugged off the comment and went to the next course.

Crostino di caprino with apples and Thyme – this was the only mediocre course. A pastry with goat cheese (tasted old) with tasteless apple chunks.

Saffron panna cota with quince and pink peppercorn for me and a Vanilla ice cream sandwich with pistachio sauce for my wife. Both very good. The desserts were accompanied by Alban di Romagna and Moscato D’Asti respectively – two dessert wines from Italy that made my wife re examine her fascination with Sauterenes. The Moscato was an eye opening semi-sparkling sweet wine  by Elio Perrone that is will keep me hunting for it till I find it.

Overall, it was an excellent experience. I would like to go back and try some more meat dishes the next time (when I can get another reservation that is). The service was a bit spotty (but that could have been our waiter). It was also less expensive than restaurants of similar caliber (Lespinasse etc). Mr Batali knows what he is doing.

[Rosie]

I LOVED the beef cheek ravioli and watching them prime the wine glasses. Do you think it makes a difference if you drink out of a glass that has been primed?

[Bux]

Pellegrino has been fairly common in Paris and much of France for at least a few years. It's less salty than Badoit and less bubbly than Perrier.

[Fat Guy]

It only makes a difference if the glass is dirty. And since it is not uncommon for glasses to have a tiny bit of residue or odor in them -- even in quality restaurants where they are washed pretty carefully -- priming is a good insurance policy. It's probably also a bit of an affectation. But it's the kind of affectation I like to see in a restaurant, because it indicates an effort to go above and beyond.

[robert brown]

Next time, lamb chops (again). Not just the best I ever had in New York (and among the best anywhere), but five of them. These were cooked to perfection with a delicious crust, and some were double-ribbed.

[bpearis]

agreed. the lambchops are pretty amazing. as is the whole fish, whatever kind it is offered that night (i think mine was branzino, but it's been a while). the calamari sicillian lifeguard style (don't ask) is great too.

i like the lamb's tongue salad as well. the last time i went (july), our waiter was a ignored us after our initial ordering and was a general jerk/snob to us, which is too bad as every other time i've been there, i've had good experiences. that said, the food was still great. i don't know if this is just coincidence, but in general the waitstaff upstairs has been better than when i've been seated downstairs.

bill

[robert brown]

Bill, my wife has had the branzino the last two times. Obviously she likes it a lot. Now that you mention the difference between the upstairs service and the downstairs, I found it to be true as well, based on two meals on each floor. I also have had good luck getting a table that night by phoning right when the reservationists open the phones at 10 a.m, even on a Saturday.

[Bux]

I've only eaten once at Babbo. I sat upstairs and have already described the less than professional service that night, but they were caught shorthanded and a bartender was filling in as waiter.

Regarding priming the wine glass--it can't hurt, but I really think it's an affectation. I think most restaurants that prime the glass do so as show because it's easier than ensuring great service after the wine is served. If the rest of the service is flawless, it's icing on the cake. If not, it's a smokescreen.

[Fat Guy]

Bux, have you seen this practiced at a lot of restaurants here in New York? I'd be interested in compiling some sort of list. Might make an interesting article, or just be interesting.

[Bux]

Fat Guy, you mean at those restaurants that actually open my bottle in front of me and don't serve me from a carafe filled behind my back? ;)

There's another thought. Do restaurants do the same priming for carafes? I don't recall many restaurants that do this. I might also add that in a number of restaurants in which I eat, I don't pay much attention to what they do once they've earned my traffic as a regular. Our glasses were primed at Ilo. It was the first time I was there and I paid a lot of attention to my surroundings. I liked the minimal decor and the whole hotel lobby feeling of the place. What can I say, I enjoy many spaces that others find uncomfortable.

[macrosan]

I'd just like to add another vote for the lamb chops, or half-a-lamb as they might be more accurately described. I had them on my first visit to Babbo in October, and they were EASILY wonderful enough to get me back there two nights later.

[foodboy]

I'm considering a dinner for three to Babbo. It will be our first time there and likely our last for quite a while. On one hand, I'm tempted to try the tasting menu, since I enjoy them, but on the other hand, will I be missing out on some of the "must have" dishes? Maybe the tasting menu is better for return visits, after having tried the "signature" dishes. Another consideration is that if we order a la carte, would most of the items be conducive to sharing for three people?

Any thoughts?

[Fat Guy]

Unless there's a compelling reason to do otherwise, I always suggest that people go a la carte on a first visit to any restaurant. At Babbo I do think your best bet is to try the signatures on your first visit, plus whatever else strikes your fancy. You might want to do a couple of appetizer courses to approximate the tasting menu experience. In terms of sharing, if you all order food and split it three ways, mathematically it's the same amount of food. So sure, why not? Some things are easier to partition than others, but if you ask for lots of share plates you should be able to engineer a solution at the table. I doubt the kitchen will want to split a dish three ways and plate it that way for you, but you can always ask.

[tommy]

for what it's worth, the pasta tasting at babbo was one of my most memorable meals.  i had it the first time i was there i think.  

for what it's worth additionally, at least one of their signature dishes is pasta, and will most likely appear on the tasting, 'specially if you ask (beef cheek ravioli).

[macrosan]

I had my first two visits to Babbo last October, and fell in love with the place (I ate at the bar). I can positively recommend the grilled lamb chops (exceptional) which I believe is a signature dish. I intend to try the pasta tasting menu, which looks fantastic, on a future occasion when I'm with a group.

My review of my visits is at '>http://www.egullet.com/cgi-bin/topic.cgi?f...=5&topic=119

[ajay]

Fat guy,

what would you consider a compelling reason to order the tasting menu??  Would the reccomendation of the waitstaff be sufficient--because almost everyplace i've been, they reccomend the tasting.

I concluded a light dinner at Babbo and found it to be quite simply the best Italian food i've had in the Big Apple, and one of the better restaurant values (where value is defined as the relationship between what you pay for and what you get) in the upscale category.  

I sat at the bar, and contrary to my other experiences, the meal still began with an amuse--a chick pea bruschetta that was simple and competent.  It was mainly a study in the contrasting textures of the bread the chickpea and some olive oil, though there were some spices present.

I proceeded to the lamb's tongue vinigrette with hedgehog mushrooms, peccorino cheese and a quail egg.  This being my first experience with tongue, I can't comment on it in relation to other preparations, but I will say this dish was amazing!  The contrast in textures (tongue, egg, cheese and mesculin) was fabulos, and the dish was unctuously rich.  I can see how that might be a turn-off to some, but it suited my mood quite well.

Next came the signature mint love letters, which are raviolis (8) stuffed with mint and ricotta? (i forgot to ask) bathed in a sauce of tomato and lamb sausage.  My first impression was that the dish was in fact spicy--the moniker was no affectaion.  In my opinion, the level of spice equalled that of several of the "hot and spicy" dishes at Grand Szechuan.  The mint love letters were a revaltation about how tasty and seductive the combination of lamb and mint can be; i'd never understood this combination before, but all I can say is wow!  this is a dish i will dream about for some time to come.

The meal concluded with the choclate hazelnut cake with hazlenut gelatto and some candied orange peel.  Again, i believe this rendition subtly elevated itself from the sea of mediocre "chocolate attacks" available in this city.  I could actually taste the hazlenut. the chocolate was thick and bitter--without being unbearable and retaining a bit of sweetness.  

All in all, i was quite impressed with Babbo and plan to go back.  The tasting menus looked like great bargains, but the dishes didn't sound as interesting to me.  Has anyone actually had experience with said menus and wine pairings?

[robert brown]

I mentioned them before, and I'll mention them again: the lamb chops. You get five of them, making them ideal for sharing. They are the best main course I have had there so far.

[Bux]

I can't speak in relation to Babbo, but the better the restaurant, the more likely I am to take the tasting menu on my first visit. Naturally I have to take someone else's word for the quality on my first visit. When I'm dining with someone in the industry, it seems they're of the same mind set on this. The few times I've dined with a chef at a restaurant where he knew the chef, there was no question but that we'd eat a long menu of whatever the chef chose for us. I suppose that's special, but not so different from putting yourself in the chef's hands by taking a tasting menu, which can often be a surprise menu. There are no hard and fast rules. My mood, my level of appetite and a dozen other things affect my decision and tasting menus vary in scope and concept from restaurant to restaurant. If there was a correct way to go, there'd be no menus in the first place. The one thing that would steer me away from the tasting menu might be the lack of signature dishes on it.

[tommy]

Quote: from ajay on 9:28 pm on Jan. 31, 2002

The tasting menus looked like great bargains, but the dishes didn't sound as interesting to me.  Has anyone actually had experience with said menus and wine pairings?

yes.  incredible.

[Wilfrid]

Quote: from ajay on 9:28 pm on Jan. 31, 2002

I sat at the bar, and contrary to my other experiences, the meal still began with an amuse...

Yes, that's a good sign, isn't it.  At dB Bistro Moderne, I was offered an amuse bouche and a heap of bread, even though I was eating in a busy bar and had ordered only an entree.  Nice touches.

[macrosan]

I ate at the bar on both of my visits, and found the seat and bar height and depth very comfortable for eating (very often a bar overhang is too shallow, so you either press your knees hard against the upright, or have to lean forward). More important, the service I got from a different bartender on each occasion was exemplary. They were both top-quality waitstaff in their own right.

[Fat Guy]

Ajay, it would depend on the waiter. I will follow the advice of a waiter if that waiter seems particularly competent. But I assign credibility on a case-by-case basis.

But primarily, when I say a compelling reason, I mean a particular reputation for amazing tasting menus or the recommendation of a trusted friend. That, or I look at the tasting menu and it seems to include all the dishes I wanted to eat and then some.

At Babbo, I think it's best to start with your own tasting composed of the signature dishes. I'd save the tasting menu for later.

[Mao]

Quite frankly, you won't go too wrong either way.  Honestly, in the last 4 months I have eaten at Babbo more than almost any other restaurant (along with Sugiyama and Cafe Boulud), and easting off the regular menu with 3 give you more variety, but the tasing menus @ Babbo are very, very good.  They are paths unto themselves, particularly with the wine tasting, which is the best bargain in NYC.  Its a great rest, and there aren't many bad paths.  Either path you will discover and neither will fail you.  The service can suck, but the food never.

[vivin]

I had the pasta tasting menu on my first visit. Amazing food (I agree, best Italian in NYC, by a long margin). The wine pairing is a great way to experience really nice wines (some of which only they get) at a reasonable price. For what you pay, the food is incredible. See my detailed post on the NYC board.

Vivin