Beppe NYC and best italian nyc

[Dominicana]

I am trying to find a handful size list of the best fine dining Italian restaurants in NYC. I have Felidia, Beppe (chosen based on the NYT review that might be dated)and Babbo.

Can you help me add to this list? Also can you help me with a recent review of Beppe, I can't seem to find a string on it.

Thanks,

A

[Bux]

For starters

L'Impero

Fiamma

Alto

[Pan]

I haven't eaten at most of the ones already mentioned, but in spite of that caveat, I think Lupa also belongs on the list.

[ned]

I ate a respectable meal at Peasant recently.

[juuceman]

I am trying to find a handful size list of the best fine dining Italian restaurants in NYC.  I have Felidia, Beppe (chosen based on the NYT review that might be dated)and Babbo. 

Can you help me add to this list?  Also can you help me with a recent review of Beppe, I can't seem to find a string on it.

Thanks,

A

←

Andrea Strong recounts a meal at Beppe in this weeks Buzz.. it's not quite a review, in my opinion a lot of her stuff is closer to a paid advertisement, but it's there..

Lupa is wonderful, the back room can approach fine dining, the front definitely doesn't provide the level of service that say, Scalini Fedeli might offer..

check this week's NY Metro for a discussion of the 4 Michelin starred Italian joints in NYC..

Peasant, in my opinion, doesn't offer the service level of fine dining, nor does it offer the quality of food to lift it from more than a mediocre place with a bit of atmosphere..

I much prefer Il Cantinori, on 10th, for something approaching this.. also, Cipriani, both uptown and downtown, offer a nice place to have a meal, although downtown can be a madhouse..

[Bux]

Peasant is not a great restaurant, but I've found the food more than respectable and downright comfortable and rewarding. I've also found it too dark to find my food. Seriously, I couldn't order anything with a bone that needed cutting. I've heard they've finally installed lighting. Is that true? I'd love to go back.

[ned]

Peasant is not a great restaurant, but I've found the food more than respectable and downright comfortable and rewarding. I've also found it too dark to find my food. Seriously, I couldn't order anything with a bone that needed cutting. I've heard they've finally installed lighting. Is that true? I'd love to go back.

←

It wasn't my idea to go to Peasant and I expected very little other than trendoid Nolita whatever and what I got, I think was a solidly good Italian meal, not gimmicky, in kind of a cool space and yeah it was a little dark but not too bad. I had a drink or two at Pegu Club before hand so maybe the lighting was lost on me. Anyway they did a lovely suckling pig entree with nice cracklin. . . couldn't find a reason to complain. And nobody I ate with had a complaint either. There was some shameless upselling of wine that had to be defended against. . . that's par for the course so I hardly feel like harping on it, in fact I was kind of charmed by how the server handled it. I'll definitely go back.

Peasant is a bad name for the restaurant. Makes the place seem concepty, like the servers will be wearing burlap or hemp and there will be unrefined bulgar and mead.

Other ideas:

Il Buco

Vice Verce

PS I give two thumbs up to Beppe.

Edited November 30, 2005 by ned (log)

[raji]

I still think for what it is Noodle Pudding deserves to be on there. It's not often I want to eat among tourists and expense accounters (except when it's someone else's expense account! I had a fabulous run 98-00 where Apple Computer was lunching me monthly, and I got to try every worthy restaurant in Tribeca...)

[notsomuch]

I'm a big fan of Abboccato. It deserves mentioning with any of the restaurants above. There's no one doing upscale Italian better.

But if you're looking for a more bistro take on Italian cuisine, I'd suggest Giorgione.

[Bux]

It wasn't my idea to go to Peasant and I expected very little other than trendoid Nolita whatever and what I got, I think was a solidly good Italian meal, not gimmicky, in kind of a cool space and yeah it was a little dark but not too bad.  . . . .

←

It never struck me as all that much a part of trendy Nolita, although it is even less related to the Little Italy scene on Mulberry Street. Possibly, it didn't seem trendy because it was always too dark to see who was there, but largely because it was recommended to us by Louis from DiPalo. I've found the food to be a little rough around the edges, but honest. A lot like Louis, come to think of it.

[weinoo]

It wasn't my idea to go to Peasant and I expected very little other than trendoid Nolita whatever and what I got, I think was a solidly good Italian meal, not gimmicky, in kind of a cool space and yeah it was a little dark but not too bad.  . . . .

←

it was recommended to us by Louis from DiPalo. I've found the food to be a little rough around the edges, but honest. A lot like Louis, come to think of it.

←

LOL - good one, Bux!

I believe the team from Bianca and Celeste have a third restaurant on 57th St. - the name escapes me. I've heard from some knowledgable food friends who dined there recently that the food was really good - especially the pastas.

Any one care to chime in on this.

[Bux]

LOL - good one, Bux!

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I trust we agree I was complimenting Louis. In fact, I may well have been repeating how he described himself to me.

[weinoo]

LOL - good one, Bux!

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I trust we agree I was complimenting Louis. In fact, I may well have been repeating how he described himself to me.

←

Absolutely - as a matter of fact, I'm heading over there this afternoon for some restocking!

[BanjoDan]

I went to Beppe recently and was so underhwhelmed by the service, atmosphere and most importantly the food. I ordered the Sirloin, and when it arrived I bit into a tasteless chewy piece of meat. I've never had a steak this bad at this price, $36 should have bought me something much better. I couldn't even chew this thing so I sent it back and ordered the bass. Again this was tasteless and tough to chew, which for Bass should NEVER be the case. The only thing that was enjoyable about the dish was the blood orange and fennel that came with it.

Maybe I should have ordered some pasta, but my meat and fish dishes were terrible. In addition they charged me for this monstrosity of a piece of meat after telling me they would take it off the bill. I really can't stand when you can't trust the wait staff to go by their word. I will definitely never go back.

[mikeycook]

Went to L'Impero tonight for the third time. It has quickly become my favorite restaurant in New York. The fricassee of seasonal mushrooms and the duck and foie gras agnolotti, to me, are two dishes as good as anything I've eaten. Everything was wonderful. The marinated pacific yellowtail, the venison with baby turnips and the poached rabbit in olive oil were each superb. In three trips, I can't recall a dish that I didn't thoroughly enjoy.

No disrespect to Babbo, which is also a favorite (has wonderful service and excellent food), but if I were on death row, I'd want Scott Conant to cook my last meal. Have to try Alto soon.

Edited December 3, 2005 by mikeycook (log)

[Tim Dolan]

I saw Fiamma mentioned above. Does anyone know if they are related to the outpost at the MGM Grad out in Las Vegas? If so, if it's anything like the one at the MGM Grand, it's damn good.