Babbo

[little ms foodie]

4 of had a very nice dinner there in December- my third time, husbands second and our friend's first.

I'll try to remember what all we had but I will say that we were all very pleased with our meals- outstanding quality of dishes, service and wine suggestions.

lambs tongue vinaigrette; goose liver ravioli, pork chops, guinie hen

and an amaro tasting after!

we still find Babbo to be wonderful for both food and atmosphere but we only get there when we travel to NYC so it's more of a special stop for us.

[Eatmywords]

markk.

Thanks for that!  I'm sorry everything was "teleported" to you at Babbo on your last visit...  sounds almost opposite of what Nathan wrote in the post before yours!

I'll tell you what intrigues me the most about Babbo - they have one of the widest selections of offal of any fine dining restaurant I've noticed.  But, other than the goose liver ravioli, I've not really heard much else about the other offal offerings at Babbo.

u.e.

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I agree Mark's sentiments over Nathan's. The menu is more impressive than the execution.

If you want Batali influenced offal chk out Casa Mono

[Mayur]

markk.

Thanks for that!  I'm sorry everything was "teleported" to you at Babbo on your last visit...  sounds almost opposite of what Nathan wrote in the post before yours!

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I agree Mark's sentiments over Nathan's. The menu is more impressive than the execution.

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IMX service pace varies *wildly* depending on the night. My experiences at Babbo have been about a "star" better on a weeknight than on a weekend.

[ulterior epicure]

I gather that the the menu (a la carte and tastings) doesn't/hasn't change/d in a number of years?

u.e.

[markk]

My experiences at Babbo have been about a "star" better on a weeknight than on a weekend.

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The meal I posted about was on a weeknight. Oy.

The fact that the menu hasn't changed substantially in quite a while may well have inspired the kitchen to phone-it-in. It shouln't be that way in such a place, though. In a three star restaurant, the dishes should come out twinkling every time.

[Nathan]

some constituents of the tasting menu haven't changed.

they do have daily specials.

the standard menu doesn't change much

[ulterior epicure]

re: Pasta Tasting. I'm assuming that the portions are manageable. I can only imagine after six courses of pasta and two desserts, one might have problems walking out of the place...

[Nathan]

you'll be full.

have a light lunch.

you'll be fine.

[Sneakeater]

I should never say this in public, but I will.

I was at Babbo once with a date who's an even bigger pig than I am (although she, unlike me, somehow manages not to show it).

We ordered the pasta tasting menu, with wine pairings. She insisted on ordering an additional pasta dish she wanted that wasn't on the tasting menu. Not as a substitution, but as a supplement. With an additional pairing.

She finished, no problem.

I, on the other hand, ended up throwing up on the street in front of Babbo.

I am so ashamed.

Anyway, u.e., be careful.

Edited February 15, 2007 by Sneakeater (log)

[Sneakeater]

(Do you think that was one of those no-general-interest egotistical posts Eater gets so upset about?)

[Nathan]

I think the last one was.

[ulterior epicure]

I should never say this in public, but I will.

I was at Babbo once with a date who's an even bigger pig than I am (although she, unlike me, somehow manages not to show it).

We ordered the pasta tasting menu, with wine pairings.  She insisted on ordering an additional pasta dish she wanted  that wasn't on the tasting menu.  Not as a substitution, but as a supplement.  With an additional pairing.

She finished, no problem.

I ended up throwing up on the street in front of Babbo.

I am so ashamed.

Anyway, u.e., be careful.

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I you Sneakeater!

I'm hoping this happened after you sent your date off in a cab... or something...

[Sneakeater]

Actually, we then went off somewhere private together.

I guess she was just used to that kind of thing.

Edited February 15, 2007 by Sneakeater (log)

[Mayur]

My experiences at Babbo have been about a "star" better on a weeknight than on a weekend.

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The meal I posted about was on a weeknight. Oy.

The fact that the menu hasn't changed substantially in quite a while may well have inspired the kitchen to phone-it-in. It shouln't be that way in such a place, though. In a three star restaurant, the dishes should come out twinkling every time.

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Oy indeed.

Actually, I was referring to the service with that "star" comment; the food has generally been of a consistent (and high) quality in my visits there.

Perhaps it's slipped since I was there last (Oct '06). Thoughts?

(And yes, u_e: The pasta tasting is, er, substantial... but then again, so's everything, at least calorie-wise. I guess Mario's out to make the world as large as he is.)

[ulterior epicure]

(And yes, u_e: The pasta tasting is, er, substantial... but then again, so's everything, at least calorie-wise. I guess Mario's out to make the world as large as he is.)

Gulp

[Lenski]

I just went back to Babbo last week. We had the Pasta tasting menu (I always swear that my next time I will try something different, but...I always end with the Pasta TM).

It was very, very good. Two of the dishes "Black Tagliatelle with peas and pecorino" and the Garganelli with “Funghi Trifolati”

were outstanding. I had had the "pyramids" before and they are very good. The Baccala “Mezzalune” with Black Olive Butter was a little on the salty side (obviously) and the portion was too big for my taste, but very good. The only thing I did not go crazy over was the "Bolognese" since it was way too normal for Babbo (good, but nothing that I cannot make myself,really, that boring).

However, the big surprise for me was the three very excellent desserts (actually four). I do not have the menu here with me. However, the first one was a sabbiosa with blood oranges. Good.

The second one (my favorite) was a panna cotta/ricotta with a fig on top. Tiny but out of this world. Then we got comped and we got the Chocolate polenta (coffee ice cream) and a lemon/almond tart. Both excellent. I do not remember having such good desserts at Babbo on my previous visits. Truly excellent.

The place was busy as always (sat downstairs) but it still deserves all the press that it gets, IMHO.

Ciao,

t

[ulterior epicure]

Lenski, thanks for the update.

I too just visited Babbo, and it rocked my world. I got VIP reservations, so take what I say with a grain of salt. That being said, we didn't have anything that wasn't on the menu. Other than perhaps a little more attention from the staff and house manager, I'm not sure we were treated any differently.

My friend and I shared the following (I've linked each one to my flickr which has more in depth commentary on each course, if you're interested):

Warm Tripe "alla Parmigiana"

Warm Lamb's Tongue Vinaigrette

Baby Red Oak Leaf Lettuce

Grilled Octopus

We each got a tasting portion of:

Lamb's Brain "Francobolli"

Beef Cheek Ravioli

We each got a full portion of:

Fennel-dusted Sweetbreads.

For dessert, we shared three gelati (espresso, buttermilk, and cinnamon) and three sorbetti (blood orange, green apple and Concord grape) and the "Maple Cream," "Maple Cream," basically a maple pot de creme topped with some crunchy bits of nuts and served with three warm perfectly round fried dough balls that were "pumpkin-spiced." I don't want to call them beignets, as they had a specific Italian name (which also began with a "b") - can anyone help me with this one?

We got wine pairings for each of the three main "sections" of our meal - the Antipasti, Primi and Secondi. Our sommelier, Luca, was very informative and very patient - explaining each wine at length. I found most of his pairings to be very informed and enjoyable - especially a carbonated white called Malvasia.

Personal highlights were the tripe, the lamb's tongue, the francobolli, and the sweetbreads (I was doing backflips in my chair). Desserts kind of lost me... but I guess that's what I get for ordering maple cream with beignets in an Italian restaurant (can anyone tell me if this indeed a traditional Italian dessert?).

A few personal notes:

1. The bar area is truly as loud and as crowded as everyone says. My gosh, there must have been nearly a hundred VERY LOUD people crammed into that little space. Why (or how) anyone could eat there is beyond me. (Granted, I was eating on weekend night).

2. The music is truly as loud as everyone (particularly Mr. Bruni) says it is. Nirvana was playing as we left.

3. The prices here are ridiculous - what a steal!?! It makes most other NYC fine dining restaurants look like highway robbers!

4. The upstairs seemed even louder than the downstairs! The upstairs can be rather dark.

7. Nothing was over/under-cooked. Everything was fresh. Nothing was over/under-seasoned. Pasta was *perfect.*

8. Pacing was great. The bathroom is tiny.

9. Sneakeater, I didn't quite have your mishap, but I sure as hell can see how it might happen.

10. I have no idea, and do not want to know, how many calories and how much fat I inhaled in that one sitting. But, it was worth every bit.

You can see my entire photo set of Babbo here.

[markk]

I'm glad you enjoyed it and that your food was good.

In my post (#244) upthread when I told of a very ordinary meal there, we too had very VIP reservations and treatment. I had had a most unfortunate and unpleasant experience entertaining guests at another Batali restaurant, and wrote to tell him about it in no uncertain terms. The day before this Babbo meal, the restaurant manager called me to assure me that he'd do everything possible to see that this meal went perfectly and that my guests weren't horrified. And in fact, he did, as fas as the service was concerned, and the fellow doing wine service upstairs (who may have been the fellow you had) recommended some absolutely delicious wines and explained them wonderfully. It was just the kitchen that let us down that night. And, the manager let me discuss a few things with the chef before the meal, and it was extra-surprising that our food was such a letdown.

[BryanZ]

The tables packed behind the bar are indeed ridiculous. Eating at the bar seems fine but those tables, I don't know if I could handle it.

I disagree with noise comparisons between upstairs and down. Upstairs seems airier and more relaxed. Of course, that's relative. Babbo is a very busy restaurant.

[ulterior epicure]

markk: Yes, thanks, I'm glad my dinner went well too! I backtracked and re-read your post. Thankfully, the telephones weren't working the night I was in, so the had to do everything in person.

Bryan: Maybe it was just where we were seated upstairs (near the station) that there seemed to be so much activity and noise (near the staircase). Yes, it was a very busy restaurant (and night) - our dinner outlasted two generations of every table around us. They do turn those tables rather quickly - but not hurriedly. I guess we were there for a rather long time.

Incidentally, my old college roommate joined me for lunch and dinner a few days later and he said that he and his party of 10 walked into Babbo at 10pmish on a weekday night without a reservation and were sat almost immediately at two large tables upstairs. I don't know what weekday reservations are like (I don't even know what getting a weekend reservations is like), but from what everyone has said about Babbo's reservation "gauntlet," that seems awfully impressive - lucky?

Edited March 28, 2007 by ulterior epicure (log)

[Sneakeater]

Why (or how) anyone could eat there [at the bar] is beyond me.

Because you can walk in (which no one can do in the dining room but your college roommate).

And because . . . .

3. The prices here are ridiculous - what a steal!?!

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Edited March 28, 2007 by Sneakeater (log)

[Nathan]

exactly.

I eat out solo a lot and bar dining makes that a lot easier.

[ulterior epicure]

Why (or how) anyone could eat there [at the bar] is beyond me.

Because you can walk in (which no one can do in the dining room but your college roommate).

And because . . . .

3. The prices here are ridiculous - what a steal!?!

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Sneakeater, you have a good point...

[slkinsey]

ulterior epicure, you had what I think are among the best dishes at Babbo (tripe, beef cheek ravioli, fennel dusted sweetbreads), so I am not surprised you had a good time. I've also had excellent experiences with Babbo's wine staff, who always seem to take my vague ideas and recommend something special and extraordinary costing less than I was planning to spend on wine.

Interestingly, the one thing you write about with which I'd take exception is your description of the ravioli as "perfectly al dente." The one time I've been disappointed with the pasta at Babbo was an order of the lamb's brain ravioli (which, similar to your reaction, I'd like to see a little more "brainy") that I felt was al dente. I say this because I don't think fresh pasta from the tradition in which Babbo is operating -- which is to say, in the larger Emilia-Romagna tradition as opposed to some toothier fresh pasta styles from the South, like orecchiette -- is meant to bite back. Rather, I think this style of fresh pasta should be tender, and when a raviolo has a texture that I'd call al dente, it makes me think it's been frozen too long, or made with flour that's too hard. This is not to say that I like it mushy, of course, but to my taste pasta can't be "tender" and "al dente" at the same time (in general, I'd only use "al dente" to describe dry pasta). I've never found the beef cheek ravioli at Babbo anything other than tender. Just curious if you could expand on your perceptions of the texture of the fresh pasta dishes.

[Zeemanb]

Personal highlights were the tripe, the lamb's tongue, the francobolli, and the sweetbreads (I was doing backflips in my chair).

I know when I had the sweetbreads they had to tell me a couple of times..."Sir, we're going to need you to stop doing 'The Robot", you're clogging the aisle!".

It was described to me as tasting similar to "the best General Tso's Chicken EVER", and that was strangely accurate......in a good way.