Lupa Osteria Romana

[theresa caruso]

Hi, Juiceman & Vivin:

You can certainly freeze pasta in individual portions and I imagine that you would have to do this if you had so many fresh pastas on the menu, which Lupa doesn't.

So glad you enjoyed the pork with rose petal glassato. It is a regular item on Lupa's menu.

[Shaya]

Got a last minute reservation at Lupa two weeks ago during a trip to NYC with the (little) kids. Meats we had as appetizers were wonderful, my main of house-made orechiette with sausage was outstanding - I will never forget the texture of those pastas!

The downside: I ordered pennette in red sauce for the kids - and was shocked that it arrived still crunchy. My younger guy ate it without too much fuss but the older one definitely noticed it was under-cooked. I keep kicking myself for not sending it back as soon as I realized what was up - one of those moments I wish I could undo. I take enormous care in the food I personally prepare for my little guys and knowing I would not have eaten the dish myself, I absolutely should have spoken up.

Why didn't I? Well, hungry kids, past their bedtime, had been up since 4am to catch two planes, and I didn't imagine they'd have the patience to wait for a new batch... still, no excuse.

[mikeycook]

The downside:  I ordered pennette in red sauce for the kids - and was shocked that it arrived still crunchy.  My younger guy ate it without too much fuss but the older one definitely noticed it was under-cooked.  I keep kicking myself for not sending it back as soon as I realized what was up  - one of those moments I wish I could undo.  I take enormous care in the food I personally prepare for my little guys and knowing I would not have eaten the dish myself, I absolutely should have spoken up.

Why didn't I?  Well, hungry kids, past their bedtime, had been up since 4am to catch two planes, and I didn't imagine they'd have the patience to wait for a new batch... still, no excuse.

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Funny you mention the pennette. I had it the same way my last time at Lupa (Pennette w/Cacio & Peppe). Does anyone know if this is intentional? I definitely found it unpleasant.

[gaf]

Have It Our Way New York City Entry #82 Lupa

After reviewing Otto and Babbo, I recognize that multo Mario fans are sprinkled throughout cyberspace, while others lack that je ne sais quoi that would permit the proper appreciation of the Batali style.

To understand Lupa - as well as other Batali properties (I haven't tried Del Posto) - is to realize their goal: casual dining with flair. I haven't yet tasted a truly grand dish, but have eaten some good ones, all the time in the midst of booming rooms that magnified the ambient noise. If one prefers more subdued dining, off-off hours are the times to reserve.

Lupa, our server informed us, somewhat aggrieved, is not really a Mario restaurant. He is a partner, but the menu was designed by Mark Ladner. Ladner has since decamped for Del Posto, but the menu remains his, and the webpage has not been updated to announce the new chef. Perhaps the kitchen lacks direction.

Lupa fancies itself a trattoria, although one that edges towards pretentiousness, even while embracing its raucous charm. The ochres and oranges give bounce and pizzazz, but seem designed to create the illusion of informality. Despite - or because - of their appeal to Food Network refugees, much of the menu at Batali restaurants is in untranslated Italian: Sformato, Testa, Cece, Piccantino, Farrotto, Bavatte, Gaeta (The Lupa website has a glossary, but the menu does not; bring your laptop!). Granted these may be terms of the Roman street, but their presence on a Manhattan menu conveys a cultural elitism in the guise of creating authenticity, establishing Italy as an exotic Casbah.

My dining companion had a number of crucial allergies, wheat among others. Given that Lupa presumes itself a neighborhood trattoria, I was startled that our server insisted that Ladner's recipes were sacred text. My companion had hoped to order sweetbreads but discovered that they were dredged in flour. Surely the kitchen does not dredge their sweetbreads before an order comes in, and so skipping this step would have been easy, even if it altered the platonic conception of the dish. At a casual eatery, the customer, not the chef, should be king. Not at Lupa. We finally assembled a suitable menu, but with a struggle. And a warning for those who wish a simple glass of wine, Lupa does not offer wine by the glass, one must select a mini-carafe: a glass and a half.

We finally selected the Frutti Di Mare, a salad, two vegetables, a pasta and a fish and a dessert. The meal had its pleasures, both minor and substantial. Most enjoyable was the Crimini and Fennel Salad with Truffle Oil. The woodsy taste of the mushrooms (although crimini are cultivated and truffles are now in the process of being farmed) were well-suited to a marriage with the slightly bitter, herbal fennel. This simple, yet elegant treatment was the highpoint of the meal. Also enjoyable was an order of carrots coated with cumin and honey. If they were slightly sweet, the cumin prevented them from being cloying. A sweet and tangy Eggplant Caponata was very satisfactory as well, perhaps through a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. They lent a dulcet air to the meal. Several of the frutti di mare also passed muster. Particularly excellent were the Octopus with Black Cece (chickpeas with black squid ink, rosemary, and red chili) and a Bass Scabece with Arugula was made lovely by the tangy vinegar in which it was poached. The closing Panna Cotta with Honey and Laurel (and Dates?) was candied, pungent, and intense.

Other dishes proved disappointing, notably our two main courses. I looked forward to Bucatini All' Amatriciana (a dish known to Babbo diners). The thick spaghetti was properly al dente, but the tomato sauce was rather pasty, and while the salt pork (presumably guanciale or cured pig jowls) was passionate, the hot pepper overwhelmed the robust pork. Although Batali restaurants often excel at pasta, this dish was not transcendent. The trout was poorly conceived. The trout and herbs were baked in a paper bag, but in the course of cooking the bag became waterlogged, and we found ourselves eating chewing wads of paper along with a trout that was adequate but never stirring. The tuna piccantino was too peppery to reveal the taste of the fish and was harsh and chill. Other dishes - Sardines with Cracked Wheat, Salt Cod with Gaeta Olives, and Escarole - were modest creations, pleasant to consume, but neither delicate nor powerful.

Given its overall quality, Lupa's attitude seems unwarranted. One is made to feel that dining in this hectic room is an honor, but honor is not what it once was. Several dishes were flavorful and well-constructed, but why would one choose a restaurant that imagines itself a neighborhood joint when one can skip down the street to a joint that knows who it is.

Lupa

170 Thompson Street (at Houston Street)

Manhattan (Greenwich Village)

212-982-5089

My Webpage: Vealcheeks

[Pan]

That's shocking about the trout!

In my experience, though, you can indeed order some wines by the glass at Lupa. Is there some new policy on that?

[markk]

And a warning for those who wish a simple glass of wine, Lupa does not offer wine by the glass, one must select a mini-carafe: a glass and a half.

I say: "Lynch the Bastards".

(creepy!)

[Sneakeater]

Years and years ago, when I first went to Lupa (OK, probably it was "years ago" but not "years and years"), they had a glossary at the end of the menu. Do they not anymore?

[Dave H]

Years and years ago, when I first went to Lupa (OK, probably it was "years ago" but not "years and years"), they had a glossary at the end of the menu.  Do they not anymore?

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They do.

[gaf]

Perhaps I missed it, but I didn't see one.

Years and years ago, when I first went to Lupa (OK, probably it was "years ago" but not "years and years"), they had a glossary at the end of the menu.  Do they not anymore?

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They do.

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[SethG]

In my experience, though, you can indeed order some wines by the glass at Lupa. Is there some new policy on that?

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I went to Lupa for lunch recently and I can confirm that there were no wines by the glass, just bottles and quartinos. However, the wines by the quartino were well-chosen and very reasonably priced.

At lunch I found the restaurant half-empty and very relaxed. This idea of the place as a pretentious temple is completley at odds with my experience. Maybe it was just the lunch factor but I found the restaurant to be entirely unpretentious and my pasta with a chicken and olive ragu was great (and a very generous portion too). I'm planning on it being a semi-regular lunch splurge.

[Nathan]

there is a glossary on the back of the Lupa menu.

wines at Lupa (like all Batali/Bastianich restaurants (except for Bar Jamon/Casa Mono and I presume the theater district bistro)) have always been served by the quartino or bottle.

in my experience this is actually one of the most praised aspects of dining at their restaurants (the pricing of the quartinos is comparable to the glass price for many of the same wines at other restaurants).

I'm a little surprised you found this discomfiting.

I will say that in my experience the best things on the menu at Lupa are whatever version of the pork shoulder dish they're serving (the preparation rotates) and the ricotta gnocchi (the best in the city imo).

I also had a fantastic salad of pork shoulder, lightly braised fennel (still with plenty of crunch), red onion, olive oil and a light citrus vinagrette last week. alas, the sweetbreads were eh...

[Sneakeater]

wines at Lupa (like all Batali/Bastianich restaurants (except for Bar Jamon/Casa Mono and I presume the theater district bistro)) have always been served by the quartino or bottle.

It's the same at Bistro du Vent (the theater district place) except they have some French word for Quartino.

Actually, I thought it was the same as well at Casa Mono, except possibly for the use of some Spanish word.

in my experience this is actually one of the most praised aspects of dining at their restaurants (the pricing of the quartinos is comparable to the glass price for many of the same wines at other restaurants).

I'm a little surprised you found this discomfiting.

Agree.

the ricotta gnocchi (the best in the city imo).

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Let's give a shout-out to the ricotta gnudi at the Spotted Pig, though.

Edited April 4, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)

[Nathan]

the Spotted Pig has been out of gnudi on all 3 occasions that I have dined there.

[Sneakeater]

There's a reason.

[herbacidal]

There's a reason.

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Are you the reason?

[Sneakeater]

They're fantastically good.

[Pan]

I guess my memory of wines by the glass was erroneous, but I do agree that they have well-priced wines that are good. I presume the French name for quartino is carafe?

[Sneakeater]

No no no. That would be too easy. It's some word you've never seen before, but have to act as if you had in order to maintain your cool.

[Sneakeater]

Who knows? Maybe they made it up.

[KatieLoeb]

Isn't a quartino merely a QUARTER liter or about 8 oz.? Most carafes are either a half or a full liter.

I'm fond of this delivery system for wines by the glass at restaurants. In fact, I would recommend it or institute it in any restaurant where I had a say in that decision.

[Sneakeater]

Isn't a quartino merely a QUARTER liter or about 8 oz.?  Most carafes are either a half or a full liter.

I'm fond of this delivery system for wines by the glass at restaurants.  In fact, I would recommend it or institute it in any restaurant where I had a say in that decision.

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I think both paragraphs are completely right.

[weinoo]

And aren't carafinas offered at Otto? With the same idea.

I agree with Ms. Loeb and think its a great way to serve the wines.

Enuf for 2 to share, and then move on to try another.

[Sneakeater]

Or -- unlike a glass -- enough for one person to drink and feel like he's had some wine.

[markk]

I guess my memory of wines by the glass was erroneous, but I do agree that they have well-priced wines that are good. I presume the French name for quartino is carafe?

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It's a "quart" (i.e. 'car'), and it is indeed the term used when wines are ordered by the mini-carafe (or "pot" or "pichet" as it is referred to in various regions). It's the quarter-liter.

[Sneakeater]

Seriously, maybe I'm some kind of alcoholic, but who has only one glass of anything with a mea?. I find a Quartino to be a decent amount to go with an appetizer and then an entree. Sure, you can't then switch wines with the courses, as you can when ordering by the glass. But OTOH, it's a much better value than buying two glasses.

Edited April 6, 2006 by Sneakeater (log)