Comparing Mario Batali's Restaurants

[jbraynolds]

Otto is the pizza/wine place but I far prefer the antipasti to the pizza.

Lupa is the cured meat/pastas/more straightforward/rustic place. The wine list is excellent and asinteresting and well-priced as Otto but not as vast.

Babbo is the fanciest, using more luxe ingredients and has the sometimes out-there pastas. It's also the toughest reservation as it's Mario's flagship. More high-end wines on the list here.

Esca, as you mentioned, is the fish place. It's one of the very best seafood places in the country, I think.

Haven't been to the Spanish-inspired meat places yet.

Po, Mario's first restaurant that he sold his interest in a short while ago, is really quite good, cozy, very well-priced. It hasn't changed much since it opened, which I consider a very nice thing.