Comparing Mario Batali's Restaurants

[Susan]

I have been to Babbos twice and love it. But I hear that Mario Batali's other restaurants are just and good and cheaper. Are they talking about Esca or Lupa (or any other ones he might own and I don't know about)?

[tommy]

each is different.

mario is also involved in Otto as well, which has gotten quite a bit of press around here.

for my money, i like Babbo the best overall. however, i love Esca for seafood, and Lupa is producing some outstanding food, although i don't enjoy the difficulty involved in getting a table there. it's slightly cheaper i'd say, and a bit more casual.

Edited January 28, 2004 by tommy (log)

[juuceman]

Lupa is producing some outstanding food, although i don't enjoy the difficulty involved in getting a table there. it's slightly cheaper i'd say, and a bit more casual.

difficulty in getting a table?? like, showing up, giving your name, and having a couple of drinks at the bar or across the street and coming back in an hour??

i like Lupa.. the food is really good, the atmosphere is loud and gives it an energy in the front room that the back lacks.. it's a pretty spontaneouous outing for me.. often preceeded by a few cocktails in the neighborhood and some indecisiveness over where to eat..

[Jason Perlow]

Lets also not forget Casa Mono / Bar Jamon.

[tommy]

Lupa is producing some outstanding food, although i don't enjoy the difficulty involved in getting a table there.  it's slightly cheaper i'd say, and a bit more casual.

difficulty in getting a table?? like, showing up, giving your name, and having a couple of drinks at the bar or across the street and coming back in an hour??

yes. i prefer reservations. i generally see people waiting on the sidewalk. your preferences may differ. is that OK???

Edited January 28, 2004 by tommy (log)

[SobaAddict70]

Let's not forget his soon-to-open English pub in the West Village, whose name escapes me at the moment.

It depends on what you like. Mario's restaurants are all excellent, but each has a different focus or style. I like them all. It's worth noting that in general, people who dislike Babbo love Lupa and vice versa. I'm not one of those people however.

If I had to rank them, I guess my list of choice would be:

Babbo

Lupa

Otto

Esca

I'm not sure where Casa Mono/Bar Jamon fits on that list, as I haven't been there yet. I suspect somewhere around Lupa territory. Otto is third only because of the sound issue. Places on the list are relative, they're all good -- each in their own way.

Regards,

Soba

[bourdain]

Lupa

[JosephB]

Lupa.

It's what Batali does best: rustic and uncomplicated; and at the right price.

[Fat Guy]

Let's not forget his soon-to-open English pub in the West Village, whose name escapes me at the moment.

I think it's safe to say that won't be his best!

Best and favorite are two different things, as my good friends the Zagats have so often pointed out.

I think, judged by the standards critics use to judge restaurants, Babbo is pretty clearly Batali's best. The food is the most sophisticated, and it's the most ambitious in nearly every regard. To use the language of stars, Babbo is his three-star restaurant. The others are two- and one-star places. (Otto actually managed a two-star rating, but it's really an excellent one-star.)

My personal favorite, however, by a wide margin is Esca. Dave Pasternak is one of the most serious fish guys in the country, and the quality of product at Esca is phenomenal. Some of the fish there are personally caught by Pasternak and others are best-of-kind. I could eat crudo and pasta at Esca all day long.

[Felonius]

My personal favorite, however, by a wide margin is Esca.

Interesting. I would have guessed you'd vote for Babbo.

I've only been to Lupa and Babbo, and think Babbo is a much more exiciting experience. Just much more going in terms of complexity and execution of most dishes. Lupa is no doubt a fine restaurant in its own right though.

I've always wanted to try Esca, but for some reason or another have never been. Steven's snow-day post inspired me to call for a last minute reservation, and I'm off to Esca tonight! I hope the seafood quality doesn't suffer due to difficult delivery conditions in city today.

I'll post my impressions upon my return. I only wish I had had more lead time, so that I could have asked fellow Egulleteers what's best on the menu.

[juuceman]

yes. i prefer reservations. i generally see people waiting on the sidewalk. your preferences may differ. is that OK???

relax.. it was more of a jesting post, although upon my rereading of it, doesn't come across that way..

reservation policy is, i'm pretty sure, the same as at babo.. 30 days in advance.. if you want to be there, call at 10 a.m. 30 days before and you should get in.. otherwise, you wait with the masses..

and, for the record, whenever i've been it's been tight at the bar but the crowd outside has been waiting for tomoe next door.. of course, ymmv..

[Fat Guy]

F: Get the assortment of 6 crudo, the antipasto with the 3 oily fish (sardines, anchovies, mackerel), the spaghetti with lobster, the weakfish entree, and anything that's special freshly caught and local. All the whole fish are nice, especially the branzino, and the Long Island scallops are terrific. Skip the prefab vegetables bullshit.

[tommy]

reservation policy is, i'm pretty sure, the same as at babo.. 30 days in advance.. if you want to be there, call at 10 a.m. 30 days before and you should get in.. otherwise, you wait with the masses..

could someone clarify the reservation policy at lupa? i thought i remember that they reserve only a portion of the restaurant, and the rest is left for walk-ins. regardless, the front room can get a bit crowded with people waiting. unlike babbo, the bar is right in the dining area, so this might be a consideration.

[Mister_Cutlets]

I love Batali, and in fact he's a hero of mine, but I have to say that I don't love Babbo. He goes too far with his chiles and weird ingredients. Lupa is much more traditional, and he reins in his exotic impulses. I really wish he had a restaurant where he made his dishes from the Molto Mario TV series, which look better than anything in any of his restaurants.

Josh

[Cpalms]

As a big fan of the batali/ bastianich empire...I don't have a specific favorite, they all have there own merits. But a note on esca that is far different than the other batali places. Paternak will actually cook off the menu for you. Try that one at Babbo, good luck. Pasternak refreshingly is the antithesis of the high brow delicate genius chef. Bring your big wallet, let him do his thing and enjoy. one word of advice. Eat the local fish, this area has such fanstatic fisheries, unfortunely many knowledgable food types miss out because restautants here don't serve them. pasternak brings a lot of that to the table.

[herbacidal]

Let's not forget his soon-to-open English pub in the West Village, whose name escapes me at the moment.

As I recall, wasn't it referred to as The Spotted Pig in the Casa Mono thread?

I prefer The Ignorant Swine myself.

Edited January 29, 2004 by herbacidal (log)

[Felonius]

F: Get the assortment of 6 crudo, the antipasto with the 3 oily fish (sardines, anchovies, mackerel), the spaghetti with lobster, the weakfish entree, and anything that's special freshly caught and local. All the whole fish are nice, especially the branzino, and the Long Island scallops are terrific. Skip the prefab vegetables bullshit.

Steven, your recommendations arrived just before I walked out the door to Esca and were very helpful.

I was on a date, and ended up paying a lot more attention to my dining companion than to the meal - so my observations on the food will be somewhat lacking.

We split an order of the daily crudo selection. This included mackeral, geoduck, some sort of tiny shrimp (prawns?), salmon with roe, and a few others I can't recall. It was a bit like sashimi, but each piece with a bit of sauce, olive oil or spices. My favorites were the mackeral and salmon. My least favorite was the shrimp, which had a sort of mushy texture that was not appealing to me. Overall, I found the crudo interesting but would probably rather have top grade sushi/sashimi.

Second course was the lobster spaghetti, as per Fat Guy's recommendation. This was excellent. The garlic and tomato based sauce was just mild enough to allow the lobster to hold its own. It's also the first truly al dente pasta I've ecountered anywhere in the USA in many years. The pasta couldn't have been any more perfectly prepared. I wouldn't say it was a complex or interesting dish, but its perfect execution and quality of ingredients made it stand out.

For my third I had the scallops (another Fat Guy recommendation). Another example of tremendous quality seafood perfectly prepared. The scallops had a nice seared crust, and were rare in the middle. So nice to have scallops that weren't overly cooked and rubbery. I also really liked the greens that accompanied the scallops. These were sauteed just enough to enhance their flavor, while still retaining a firm texture. I guess one could call them al dente. A rare example of perfectly cooked greens. The dressing on the greens was fantastic - a bit tart and spicy.

My date had a third of sauteed monkfish medallions. They were beautiful to look at, with a nice golden crust and firm texture, but were bland in taste. We both agreed that this was the only disappointing dish of the evening.

Dessert was a sort of chocolate pave with vanilla ice cream. Very good, but not all that exciting. It reminded me of the infamous "chocolate bruno" from Blue Ribbon. I prefer the Blue Ribbon version.

The wine service was actually my favorite part of the meal. Just as at Babbo, the list is reasonably priced, eclectic and interesting (though all Italian), with many choices available by quartile. I really love this format. My date and I were free to choose different wines, with enough left over in the quartile to share as wanted. I left all the selections to the sommelier, and he came through like a champ. I had an interesting dry white made from the Tokaj grape and another I can't remember. The wines were all excellent and unusual. Babbo and Esca deserve credit for running the most interesting and affordable wine programs in NYC. Fifteen bucks buys you a quartile of excellent wine, from off the beaten path, usually well-matched by the sommelier to the food at hand. This is so much better than $15 per glass of generic and often crappy vino offered by so many upscale NYC restaurants.

Overall, it was an excellent meal. At this price point, however, I personally prefer the food at Babbo. In my opinion, the food at Babbo is more complex and interesting. Esca seems more about perfect preparation of the freshest ingredients, whereas Babbo pushes the culinary creativity/complexity boundaries a good bit further. Both are noteworthy, I just happen to prefer the approach at Babbo more. When the kitchen is on its game, Babbo transports my tastebuds into a frenzy that Esca didn't approach tonight.

Esca was also more expensive than I thought it would be. Previously I had the impression that Babbo was the flagship three star, and that Esca was a bit more on the casual/value side. From what I could tell tonight, the prices are about the same. Babbo just feels more like a luxury restaurant to me in terms of atmosphere and food presentation. If one does the whole deal at Esca - crudo ($30 per person), pasta ($20-25), main ($25-30) plus wine - the $100 per person mark sneaks up pretty quickly. This puts it into competition with some pretty heavy hitters (Cafe Boulud, Mix, Town, etc.), and I don't think it is all that compelling in this league.

So I'd personally rank Esca behind Babbo at a dining experience, and Behind Lupa in terms of value. I woudn't put it on my favorites list, but I do admire what they're doing at Esca. It's more a matter of personal preference for one approach or another than of quality or execution.

Edited January 29, 2004 by Felonius (log)

[Pan]

Felonius, thanks for your report. Most instructive.

[Fat Guy]

Felonius, in my experience Esca tends to be more expensive than Babbo if you order similarly. But Esca is a seafood restaurant. You're talking about a restaurant serving the most expensive category of ingredients versus one where the food cost is no doubt rather low. Babbo's range -- some of the dishes are made from truly cheap shit -- not only keeps the price range compelling but also subsidizes the seafood prices (the spaghetti with a one-pound lobster is, I believe, available at both places but is actually a couple of bucks cheaper at Babbo). It's conceptually similar to the comparison between, say, Blue Hill and Sparks. You will invariably spend more money at Sparks for shrimp cocktail, a steak, a side of creamed spinach, and a piece of cheesecake than you will at Blue Hill for "warm tomato soup, lightly smoked," etc.

I agree 100% with your assessment that "Esca seems more about perfect preparation of the freshest ingredients, whereas Babbo pushes the culinary creativity/complexity boundaries a good bit further." And I think your ranking is in line with how the star-rating system would rank-order the Batali restaurants. My only disappointment in reading your report is that you weren't as enamored of the crudo selection as I've been.

[fatcatbrew]

I have not been at any of his places other than Po years ago. I know he is not affiliated with them anymore. Does anyone know why? When I was at Po I had the pleasure of meeting him and seeing him cook in the kitchen with his orange clogs on

[Fat Guy]

As a big fan of the batali/ bastianich empire...I don't have a specific favorite, they all have there own merits. But a note on esca that is far different than the other batali places. Paternak will actually cook off the menu for you. Try that one at Babbo, good luck. Pasternak refreshingly is the antithesis of the high brow delicate genius chef. Bring your big wallet, let him do his thing and enjoy. one word of advice. Eat the local fish, this area has such fanstatic fisheries, unfortunely many knowledgable food types miss out because restautants here don't serve them. pasternak brings a lot of that to the table.

I'm hardly a regular at Esca -- I'm sure I've been fewer than 5 times ever -- but it's definitely the kind of place where, after a couple of visits, you can start asking them to push the performance envelope. I hope I never have to choose, but in many ways I'd say that Esca (when Pasternak is cooking "unplugged") is my favorite seafood restaurant. I get more raw (so to speak) enjoyment out of it than Le Bernardin, and as much as I love the purity of sashimi and sushi I find the crudo in some ways more intriguing.

Hope we will see more of you on the boards.

[juuceman]

could someone clarify the reservation policy at lupa? i thought i remember that they reserve only a portion of the restaurant, and the rest is left for walk-ins. regardless, the front room can get a bit crowded with people waiting. unlike babbo, the bar is right in the dining area, so this might be a consideration.

you're correct..

they'll only reserve tables in the back room, unless you're a large group, in which case they'll sometimes reserve the very front tables in the front room for you..

front room is walk in, first come first served.. great at 5 on a sunday.. packed and 'lively' on a friday a nine.. and the front room is always loud.. which is why i love it for early dates..

i love lupa for its accessibility.. you'll wait an hour for a table, but don't have to plan it out 30 days in advance.. kind of like your corner italian red sauce joint..

[Felonius]

Felonius, in my experience Esca tends to be more expensive than Babbo if you order similarly. But Esca is a seafood restaurant. You're talking about a restaurant serving the most expensive category of ingredients versus one where the food cost is no doubt rather low.

My only disappointment in reading your report is that you weren't as enamored of the crudo selection as I've been.

Good point on the food cost issue. That hadn't occured to me. Esca is a decent value by NYC standards. To my taste, however, Babbo offers more bang for the buck in terms of savory dishes and atmosphere.

I probably wasn't all that enamored with the crudo for two reasons:

- I'm not all that adventurous when it comes to fish selections

- I had just met an incredibly beautiful blind date, and I was frankly so enamored with her that raw fish wasn't the first thing on my mind

I generally prefer meat to fish, with good sushi being an exception. So, I'm probably neve going to get as excited about crudo, no matter how good, as I am about the veal cheek ravioli or short ribs at Babbo. Still, I'd like to go back to Esca, eat at the bar, and try a wider variety of crudo selections.

[Fat Guy]

- I'm not all that adventurous when it comes to fish selections

- I had just met an incredibly beautiful blind date, and I was frankly so enamored with her that raw fish wasn't the first thing on my mind

Congratulations! You've been hired as the new New York Times restaurant reviewer!

[Felonius]

One thiing I forgot to mention about my Esca experience - the flawless service.

I've had less than exemplary service on several occasions at Babbo, and also encountered a bit of attitude from the host and bartenders. This was not the case at all at Esca. Everyone on the staff was friendly, attentive and very accomodating. The sommelier was especially knowledgeable and helpful.

In fairness to Babbo, this may have to do with the fact it was a snowy night, and Esca wasn't overrun by the dining masses. So far in my Batali restaurants experience, Esca wins the service award hands down.