Mario's other gift to NYC

[Beachfan]

Well, this is a sleepy chat room.  So to liven it up, I'll pay hommage to Mario Battaglia's trio of restaurants.  A lot is written about his food, but his wines are the best experience at the price in NYC.

At Babbo, I had an out of this world Barolo (Albino Rocca Bricco Ronche 1997) which is almost impossible to find after it's boffo review, at very fair at ๪ or so (retail is โ).  Then the mini carafes that they sell that make it so easy to do a food wine pairing, are dee-lish, at very reasonable prices.

At Lupa, I got a Falesco Vitiano for ว or so.  Lovely everyday wine, and when was the last time you saw bottles in that price range.

At Esca, I took the sommelier's blind recommendation on a chardonnay (left the name at work, sorry) for about ี.  Italian wines are fabulous, and Mario brings them in at a price you gotta love.  

The wine pricing makes his restaurants cheap if you like to drink wine.

PS He also has a wine shop, which I haven't tried but should be great.  Anyone go there?

[Wilfrid]

Walked past the wine shop a lot and it looks intimidating.  Like a big, wood panelled space with about three expensive bottles on view (I exaggerate, but you may get the picture).  Italian wine is not my specialist subject either.  There must be some way they could make it more welcoming (if they're looking for general trade).

[Fat Guy]

Mario Batali's all-Italian wine lists are fabulous, and the prices are more reasonable than at most restaurants. But if you want the best Italian wine values at any restaurant in America, you'll want to go to Manducatis in Queens. The stemware there is lousy, but the Barolo selection is mind-boggling. If you've even heard of a tenth of the producers, you deserve a prize. And there's plenty of Gaja in house as well. As for a wine store specializing in Italian wines, Mount Carmel near Arthur Avenue in the Bronx is by far the best I've ever seen, both in terms of selection and price.

[Beachfan]

Great tip, thanks.   Currently, I'm most excited about Italian wines, and if they've got reasonalbey priced Barolo's,  count me in!

[Fat Guy]

Beachfan, take a look at the August issue of my newsletter for more information about Manducatis (if you don't have it, you can get the back issues at www.groups.yahoo.com/group/fat-guy ) and see the Arthur Avenue entry on Fat-Guy.com for information about Mount Carmel.

[robert brown]

Steven, how's the grub there (Manducatis)? And speaking of Babbo, your review was right on the money. I'll be grabbing the grilled pork chop Monday night.

(Edited by robert brown at 11:54 am on Nov. 10, 2001)

[Fat Guy]

Manducatis is an experience. Here's what I wrote about it elsewhere:

The eminently hideous façade of Manducatis (13-27 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens, 718-729-4602, G to Van Alst, 7 to Courthouse Square, E/F to Ely), evoking an ammunition storage facility not a restaurant, hardly prepares one for the even less remarkable anteroom, which has caused many to turn away in the belief that the restaurant closed rather than opened in 1978. Having a reservation hardly builds confidence, because telephone conversations with Vencenzo Cerbone are equivocal at best. Once seated, you may or may not be acknowledged within half an hour -- the wisecracking Anthony, the son, single-handedly waits on every table, and you wait your turn. Don't challenge the staff or try to expedite the process: This is an idiosyncratic family business that would just as soon not deal with new customers (despite enough rave reviews to wallpaper the place, the party line is that they'd rather not be written about at all). Your order then makes its way to Ida (wife of Vincent) in the kitchen, who prepares all the food with little assistance. Eventually, you may get a crust of bread, perhaps a glass of water. Then, the deluge.

Fresh pasta dishes are the most compelling items on the menu, with the fettucini-portobello-tomato permutation leading the pack. (Even William Grimes likes it.) Stuffed pastas, particularly manicotti, are nearly as impressive. The calamari, not fried, is the most tender I've encountered. Entrees are what you'd expect: The menu could easily be confused with that of your crummy neighborhood red-sauce place, but, as at all the restaurants discussed herein, the dishes have a vibrancy and realness that sets them apart. They're executed with panache and there are even a few interesting Manducatis departures, such as pork chops alla paesana, with scallions, peppers and vinegar. Daily specials demand consideration as well -- the surest way to get the best is to place your trust in Anthony. Cannolis are hand-filled and couldn't be better, and the espresso and cappuccino are superior specimens.

Once you get through the hazing period and the Cerbones satisfy themselves that you're a worthy customer -- a process that takes two or three well-behaved visits -- you're on the inside track, rendering service a non-issue. But even if Manducatis (which lacks an apostrophe because it is not a possessive but, rather, Latin for "you eat") served only attitude, you'd have to visit for the wine list. When Joseph Nase, long the sommelier at Lespinasse, turned me on to Manducatis, he told me, "I've simply never seen a better Italian wine list when prices are taken into account." And that's the truth.

You'll want to look at the August issue of my newsletter for my thoughts on several of New York's old-school Italian restaurants.

Thanks for your praise regarding my Babbo review, though I must confess it doesn't take a genius to realize the food there is good.