The food was well prepared, but there was something (dare I say) missing from it? I didn't have a problem getting the reservation time I wanted, just had to plan ahead for it (by a month!) The wine I picked was excellent, the service not. We waited a ridiculously long time to order, then had to ask a busboy to get us olive oil for our bread, and I think we had our food for about 30 seconds when we were asked how it was. After that, we were pretty much ignored until it was very clear (glaringly so) that we were done with our plates. I cannot attribute the lack of good service to it being a busy night, there were many tables empty. On the plus side::: Again, the wine - which I chose because the sommelier was too busy doing god knows what. Cannonau di Sardegna Chio Il Nuraghe 2002, nuf said. Amuse - balsamic chickpeas on toasted bread Apps - grilled octopus (the highlight of the evening), marinated lamb's tongue with mizuna salad and 3 minute poached egg Pasta - beef cheek ravioli with duck liver and black truffle - very good, very rich (not my usual fare) Meat - grilled venison with polenta and acorn squash caponata (good, nothing I feel like I haven't had before - very heavy on the olives), sweetbreads with orange fennel glaze (not my cup of tea and I LOVE sweetbreads - this version was kind of like a sweetbreads meets general tso's chicken in a high end restaurant.) Dessert - pumpkin pine nut cake with espresso gelato, 3 cheese course (great tallegio, robiola and salva cremasco - the last being my favorite - portions could have been larger for the cheese.) Mirto with the pumpkin cake, and a sweet red (started with a P, maybe Peloma or something like that, was good wine though I think I should have chosen a white...) All in all good, but not my favorite so far. THE BEST octopus I've had yet, which brings Babbo from 3 to 4 stars. read more

I've always been a fan of Babbo but haven't been there for awhile so I almost forgot how good the food was until a visit to refresh my memory this past weekend. Boyfriend and I got the lamb proscuitto and grilled octopus as an appetizer, split the beef cheek ravioli with liver and truffles for our primi and got the grilled porkchop and rabbit for our secondi. Everything was delicious from the appetizer all the way down to the vanilla rooibos tea I had with dessert. Lamb proscuitto, definitely a flavor I've never had before, came with grilled bread, hard flaky crust, super soft middle, perfect complement for the salty soft proscuitto. My grilled octopus was tasty too, perfectly grilled which gave it a bit of a smoky taste which was great. Highlight of my night was the beef cheek ravioli. The pasta shell was cooked perfect, with a bit of a bite, not too soft and not too hard. Filling was absolutely amazing... the rustic flavor of tender braised beef mixed with liver, it was yummy. Boyfriend said it reminded him of chopped liver, although the liver flavor isn't overbearing at all, as soon as you think you're eating liver, the soft braised beef flavor seeps through and you forget that you ever thought about the liver... Pork chop was huuuge.... I mean it could've fed two and you'd expect a pork chop that thick would be dry but the meat was tender and juicy, another plate well done. Rabbit was sooo tender, loved that it we served with green peas that had some pancetta mixed in. Didn't love the sauve though, had a touch of BBQ to it and I was thinking a more delicate sauce would've been better for the rabbit but all in all, done very well. Had a great night with great food... things to try next: the spaghettini with one pound lobster and the black spaghetti special! Mmmm... read more

Huge disappointment at Babbo. I was very excited to celebrate my birthday with 6 of us at Babbo on 8/19/10. It is not easy to get 6 people's table (Easier for smaller size table) First disappointment is with Wine Somalie. We requested for 1 bottle of white wine and 1 bottle of red. I understand it is not easy to please 6 people's taste. But all of us were looking at each other how to say we don't like both wines that somalie brought. Honestly, all of my friends are very nice people...they didn't want to say anything bad..but to the $$$ that we pay, we had to say we prefer different options.. The Wine Somalie was upset at us and said " I am very confused, and I don't know what you guys want" in a rude manner. So his manager came and brought different wine selections - all of us liked it. Rude somalie's manner was a big strike!! Second disappointment is on hygiene. One of my friend's plates, a hair of dishwasher cloth (metal) came out on one of the past dish. We didn't want to make any trouble as we gone through the wine&somalie disappointment. We didn't make a big deal, so didn't say anything. Now I regret..i should have say something..Babbo is respected restaurant and we pay $$. Regarding to the food, here are some summary; Appetizers: we tried grilled octopus, beat salad were pretty good. Small portion. Pasta: we had Linguine & Beef Cheek Ravioli I thought their past dish was pretty good. Well cooked. Main: I had Whole Grilled Branzino, which was decent. My hubby had Charred Beef Tongue, was pretty salty. Dessert: I had Blueberry Almond Cake "Sottosopra" with Toasted Almond Gelato - was pretty good. My friend had "Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with Orange Sauce and Hazelnut Gelato" was also pretty good. read more

I love Babbo. We bypassed the tasting menu and opted to create our own family style tasting. I'm so glad we tried so many things and it was totally worth the extra poundage I left with. Highlights: grilled octopus - smokey, juicy, perfection gnocchi with braised oxtail - light fluffy gnocchi smothered in tasty oxtail. I'd like this to be my last meal please Corn side - and I don't like corn! sorbet tasting - who knew I would love ricotta sorbet so much? So many interesting flavors, you'll definitely find one to love My only complaint - a very pushy sommelier. Oh and a TINY bathroom. But the soap is awesome. read more

The Bad - Sweetbreads-- good for people who enjoy french onion soup; the bread has a cool texture to it as if it were chicken The Good - Grilled Octopus-- does not taste like octopus at all...simply amazing dish - Baby Wild Arugula-- MUST GET!! it is so simple and yet i can't stop thinking about it....its literally a hill full of arugula and strips of cheese on top....*drools* - Black Spaghetti-- i recommend this more than the lobster spaghettini but both are great....the rock shrimp is wow...you can really tell how fresh it is...and there is a good amount of shrimp as well....the pasta is worth the carbs - Lobster Spaghettini- i love all the pasta dishes that had seafood....you can taste the difference between other italian places and seafood restaurants - Mezzelune- this was the special for that day; half moon shaped ravioli with potato stuffing--this was pretty good but not as good as the other two pasta dishes i had....was a tad sweet but not overtaken by its sweetness - Chocolate Cake The Bottomline- MUST GO TRY!! You have to make reservations about a month in advance so plan ahead. Another option would be eating at the bar. You definitely have to get as much pasta dishes as you can. They have an on the house appetizer which isn't that great as well as a bread man who walks around but don't eat them because it's going to fill you up before you eat the actual food. The food comes out in a timely manner and I love how they separate the dishes for your group. I love the service there and will definitely be back! read more

Went here a while back and felt compelled to write a review to do this place justice. Prior to Babbo, my experience with Italian food was limited to culinary heavyweights such as Olive Garden, Buca De Peppo, and Macaroni Grill. My oh my have I been missing out. Generally when I go to restaurants of famous chefs I proceed immediately to the prix fixe menu to see what they've got. Honestly, if you're paying decent money to eat somewhere you don't ruin it by substituting like a basketball coach (save for allergy substitutions of course). Looking at the current prix fix menu, it looks about the same as what I had before. Duck Tortellini: yup, it tastes as good as it sounds. Considering I was here years ago and still remember eating it, that speaks volumes of the quality. A have dreams of Sugo Finto. Dinner for two with wine included was about 250-300 which I think was a steal for the experience. Despite the need to reserve early in advance, I managed to snag a table for my then gf's bday due to some very helpful and accommodating staff. Overall: great food, great times read more

Let's face it, the name of this restaurant is just awful. It either sounds like a clown convicted of child molestation (who couldn't see THAT ONE coming) or the name of your rubberhead uncle. Service started off shaky but was saved when our waiter overruled the manager who didn't know their specials or basic tasting menu options. When you're dropping serious coin on a full tasting menu experience, the manager should know the options. This is 101. Then they put me and my friend on the same side of the table. There were 2 of us. If we weren't close friends this could have been somewhat awkward and I left with only a medium grade crick in my neck. Food was pretty good but honestly I've had dishes at Otto (Batali's other NY Enoteca) which rivaled any one that I had at Babbo. Wine was excellent and well paired. I wouldn't bother with the reserve tasting. Overall verdict: 3/5. If I get invited here I won't say no, but I'll be ordering a la carte. read more

I came to Babbo for my sister's 30th birthday. It is a beautiful, cute restaurant. Intimate but more spacious than many NYC places. The service was really great and the food was amazing (minus the dill). It is definitely on my short list of favorite places in New York City for a fancier night out. read more

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Went here for a belated Bday dinner... Oh Dear God was it worth the wait!!!! I have never moaned more in my life, not even having mind blowing sex! 1st: the place had such a good feel ... Rustic & so tasteful & so Mario! The olive oil was the best I have ever tasted ... Ridiculous! Service was impeccable & Un-intrusive; all staff were extremely knowledgeable about menu. A simple arugula salad with exquisite Parmesan cheese shavings was crazy good. Had pan seared sea scallops that were succulent & buttery. With local corn in the accompanying sauce... Unbelievable !!!! 1 of the very best meals of my life!!!!! I bow to the chefs with weak knees from how this meal left me .... read more

Baby Wild Arugula Salad. Grilled Octopus. Warm Tripe Alla Parmigiana. Black Spaghetti. Orecchiette. Pistachio & Chocolate Semifreddo. Everything was Delicious, but that Semifreddo-- OMG was one of the BEST I've ever had! I dream of it often... Sigh... read more

Babbo definitely has the best pasta in the city. The food was amazing, I really enjoyed the goose liver ravioli. Dessert was great too, I had the Olive oil cake with olive oil gelato. The service was a little slow but the food was worth the wait! read more

Babbo - Olive oil cake with olive oil gelato - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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Amazing, the best restaurant experience ever. The food was amazing, every single item was just right. Everything was perfect, from the sommelier... to the octopus dish. I've eaten octopus all my life, but it was the first time I actually LIKED it! Ah-ha! Cost of the meal is super cheap when you factor in the quality of the food. Best restaurant in NY, hands down! read more

I went there with my father because it was well rated by Yelp. Food was sophisticated and excellent. Service was a bit slow but the wine advisor knew what he was talking about and therefore wine was excellent. Waiter advised us to take more appetizers and I disagree but he kept on insisting, which I did not like. My appetizer was so so, but my father's was excellent. Main courses were very good. They are serious about service and it worth the price; after all you are in a star restaurant. Bartender was really friendly and helped a lot to relax with fine wine. read more

Because we didn't have reservations, we waited in line in hopes of being one of the 15 or so people that get standby tables or seats at the bar. It was freezing that day and even the rotundity of my rear end couldn't shield me from the hard concrete steps I sat on. But all is well that ends well: my boyfriend and I got the last food-designated seats at the bar. It was especially lucky that we got to eat at Babbo since it was a spur of the moment decision. We had tickets to go to the opera and needed a place to eat where our formal attire wouldn't attract strange looks. Anyway, on to the food. The sweetbreads were delicious. Coming from me, that means a lot; I hate sweetbreads. Personally, I ordered the lamb chops. While they were good, they don't stand out in my memory as much as the sweetbreads. Everything we had that night was delicious, down to the breadsticks/twists they had at the bar. The couple next to us had something that pretty much looked like spaghetti marinara. My boyfriend and I were shocked that 1. someone came to Babbo for spaghetti marinara and 2. It looked and smelled so good that we contemplated ordering it as well. But I suppose that's just how this place is: everything can be delicious (spaghetti marinara) even if only some are phenomenal (sweetbreads). read more

Wow. Where do I begin? I went with a group of fellow foodie friends to take on the pasta tasting at Babbo. The meal got off to a great start with blood orange cosmos and the grilled octopus appetizer. Usually I'm a little hesitant about ordering octopus because of its chewy texture and tentacles. I forgot of any drawbacks once I took my first bite as it was prepared to perfection, devoid of any characteristic chewiness, and finished with a spicy limocello vinagrette. Holy pasta! The tasting menu was carefully thought out, interesting and versatile, from flavors/sauces to pasta type/texture to vegetable or meat accompaniment. You could tell the pasta was fresh and handmade - the crafting was particularly noted on the garganelli funghi. The most unique pasta dish we tried was casunziei stuffed with ricotta and beet juice and topped with poppy seeds. This combination made for a smooth sensation of subdued sweet and salty flavor, easy on the stomach. After each plate cleared we found ourselves more uncomfortable in the clothes we came in, yet our excitement never let down for the next course. My personal favorite was the traditional papardelle bolognese - the.great.bambino. Best bolognese I have encountered! The sauce itself was not too thick (the seasoned meat being the prominent flavor) with a subtle sweetness. The fresh papardelle unfolded in your mouth, unleashing and blending all of the flavors and textures. FOODGASM. This was the heart & soul of the meal. Without a doubt, the most comforting way to end the pasta tasting. A short bit on dessert...I'm not big on sweets but ones that stayed with me were the chocolate al diavolo (chocolate fudge spiced with chili flakes - we spoon-fed ourselves!) and the warm apple tart. One of the best dining experiences I've ever had in the city! 5 pastas, 3 desserts and a belly that put Santa's to shame. Worth every second and penny. That's amoré! Pasta will never be the same. read more

Mint Love Letters Beef Cheek Ravioli Grilled Octopus Ribeye for 2 Sweetbreads life changing. read more

I can not say enough positive things about Mario Batali's insanely delicious Italian restaurant, Babbo. This two story dream townhouse includes a dimly lit first floor, lively atmosphere and a small bar. The second level feels more intimate, offering warm honey tones and well spaced two and four person tables. It is completely unnecessary to be intimidated by the seemingly sophisticated menu and encyclopedia size wine list - the servers and Sommelier graciously answer all kinds of questions while remaining informative without being obtrusive. I wish I could tell you oodles of information about their regular menu but honestly, I love their Pasta Tasting so much that it is the only thing that I order each time I eat at Babbo. I highly recommend trying this eight-course menu ($69/person) as well as ordering the accompanying wines ($50/person). Although things change based on what ingredients are available seasonably, the following dishes are included in this month's Pasta Tasting: 1. Black Tagliatelle with parsnips and pancetta; 2. "Casunzei" with poppy seeds; 3. Garganelli with "Funghi Trifolati"; 4. Domino's Pyramids with "Passato di Pomodoro"; 5. Pappardelle Bolognese ; 6. "Bigne con Torrone e Nocino"; 7. Chocolate "al Diavolo"; 8. Olive Oil Rosemary Cake with olive oil gelato... I am obsessed with the Domino's Pyramids and also the Chocolate 'al Diavolo" - SO SO good. If you are not ready to carbo-load, try the Traditional Tasting menu for $75/person. This includes a range of meats, vegetables and pastas. Both tastings are well portioned so you are able to enjoy each dish without feeling like you need a stomach pump...well, at least not until the end - I also appreciate the pace the servers thoughtfully maintain, ensuring that you are able to socialize and explore every morsel but without having to spend hours at dinner (the Pasta Tasting with wine takes approximately 2.5 hrs). Reservations are available exactly one month in advance - lines open at 10AM SHARP... count on having to repeatedly press re-dial until you get through and thank your lucky Italian stars if you snag a table... even if it is at 11:30pm on a Monday (seriously). read more

Mario Batali does it again. Tell me I can spend my entire 5 courses of a meal enjoying pasta and I'm a happy girl. The pasta tasting menu was 5 courses of pasta and 3 courses of dessert. We opted to do the wine pairing as well. First time agreeing to a wine pairing because let's face it, I'm generally a light weight but you'll be happy to know the pairings were spot on complimentary to the food AND I exercised restraint and did not finish every glass. Perhaps I should have demonstrated some restraint with the pasta as well...it was too good to stop. By the 5th course of pasta, it may have been my favorite but I could NOT finish it. Physically could not. But hey, dessert for some reason found a way to make it to the party in my tummy. Thank goodness. I have to say this could easily be one of the most satisfying meals I have had in NY. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. It is THAT good. Be prepared to make reservations a month in advance - worth the wait! read more

Hopping at 10pm on a Sunday night. All the tables were full. Had a drink at the bar beforehand. Chatted with some happy go lucky tourists. Drank more. Was invited to get seated but I think the maitr d' was confused. We went upstairs and downstairs before they decided on a table for us. I prefer downstairs as the atmosphere is more lively. Upstairs is quieter and very retirement community feeling. This is a good lively spot for coming with friends as there is a bit of a scene. I noticed other tables kept looking at us. I mean, are we *that* good looking?! Maybe we just are. Loved the charcuterie plate. Some kind of lamb ham blew me away. The grilled octopus was ok. A bit dry. The pasta was good, but I still prefer Marea, Ai Fiori, or even Del Posto. read more

We left feeling very disappointed at the food and not to mention the almost 600 dollars bill for 3 people. I have been to most of Balotelli's restaurants, usually I love them. I was hoping Babbo would blow my mind off but sadly it failed. The service was good expect the waiter forgot about our wine pairing for one of the courses. The food was just okay, I had better pasta/entree else where. The most ridiculous course was the last to second course - cheese. I wouldn't dare to say it was an actual dish because the cheese was literally a thin sliced tiny little of whatever the fancy cheese name it was. Honestly, how could you ever serve a slice of thin cut cheese as a course? It was so tiny that we ate with delicacy. I think if I ever come back again, I will probably order à la carte. read more

Went for lunch: We did the Black truffle tasting menu and the non-truffle tasting menu. Truthfully, the black truffles tasted like nothing and I wound't pay extra for it again. However, I'm a big fan of the pork loin with fennel and blood orange and Bistecca as well as the Raviolli. I think the 2 tasting menus were very similar so I think go with the non-truffle menu and you'll be happy you saved some money. Or order any of the dishes I recommended by themselves and skip the prix fixe. The service was great, and I really liked that I could sit next to, instead of across, from my date. (although admittedly if it were a business lunch it would be awkward). read more

Nice ambience, good service and wine selection. Orecchiette with pesto was cooked perfectly. A little salty, but my favorite from the ones I tried. The olive oil cake a la mode was my favorite dish there. Would get that again and not share it next time. read more

More like 4.5, but bumped it up to 5 because of the great service. Our server was truly the most friendliest, and my brother and I both felt very much well welcomed. Food was good, but sadly, nothing really jumped out at me. Given the price point, I was expecting a bit more. But overall, a great experience. read more

The menu is very diverse. You can order anything from lamb tongue to beef cheek! I stayed on the safer side and ordered the Sea Scallops and they were cooked perfectly. No need to worry about service it is top notch! Glass always full and table always cleaned. (If you are a messy bread eater). Overall I give it a 5 because of the variety, service and taste of the food. read more

First, let me say that I don't really like italian food. I prefer most other types of cuisine over pasta. And then I went to Babbo and it totally made me rethink my views on pasta. The beef cheek ravioli, lamb's brain, mint love letters.. what do they do to the pasta to make it taste so good?? It seriously was the best pasta I had ever had in my life.. Italy move over. I went again and had the non-pasta tasting menu because I was curious how Mario did with non-pasta dishes. He did not disappoint. Our server patiently explained each dish and the wine pairing. We ordered 2 pasta dishes in addition to the tasting course (don't judge us..) and our server had the chef split the two dishes and bring them out during our tasting course where they thought they would best fit along with two wines that would match the additional courses we ordered. Then at the end the chef brought out different desserts so we could share and try more than one. Such good service and such a good meal. I can't say which is better there - the non-pasta courses or the pasta courses. You'll just have to go over and over and over again to try everything.. read more

This is my favourite restaurant in NYC, where everything from the food to the wine and the desserts is exceptional. The chef, Mario Batalli, has managed to make a simple butternut squash ravioli with fresh herbs the lightest and tastiest dish app ever. Their food is seasonal and changes often, retaining the classics that will blow your mind away. My fave entree is the beef cheek ravioli, which is always executed to perfection and leaves me wanting more. Sometimes, I get an extra order to go.... (which I devour as soon as I get home...) The prices aren't over the top for such a high-end restaurant, but good luck getting a reservation! read more

Excellente service, amazing food. Whatever you order for dessert will be incredible. I had an amazing time there! read more

This place was amazing! Service off the charts! Food RIDICULOUS! Winter salad, beef cheek ravioli, black pasta with seafood, cheesecake with coconut, chocolate( something- can't remember after 3 glasses of wine :)) - ALL WERE OUTSTANDING! Only minus was the octopus in limoncello...I forgot how much I truly dislike limoncello until I had this dish. Will definitely be back though!! read more

Heard a lot of great things about this place from friends who visited NYC as Mario Batali's signature restaurant and heard it was impossible to get resos. Luckily, we managed to get dinner reservations for 2 on short notice. The menu had us drooling and did not disappoint. This is what we ordered: Antipasti: Grilled Octopus Primi: Chianti Stained Papardelle with Wild Boar Ragu Secondi: Duck with Fig Vinaigrette The bread to start was disappointing as it wasn't anything special (I always look forward to the bread at ANY Italian restaurant). If you go here, the one thing you MUST order is the Grilled Octopus. Probably the best grilled octopus I've ever had. Deliciously grilled to the right consistency and wasn't chewy at all. The Papardelle was very flavorful and thoroughly enjoyed it. The only disappointment was the duck, which was good but nothing to write home about. If I go back I think I would change the order to the Grilled Guinea Hen with Pumpkin Fregula and Black Truffle Vinaigrette. Overall the ambiance was decent and the service was above average. Unfortunately didn't do dessert because we were stuffed. Overall, a great meal, and would definitely go back again sometime for the Grilled Octopus. read more

After some thought...I am still upset with our overall experience...the trend of other reviews is starting to head in a challenging direction. I wonder if owners ever read these..reputation and history lasts onbly so long. read more

Just such good classic Italian, it's absolutely worth the wait / book your reservation in advance because you will not find one in the near future. Got the beef cheek ravioli and it was amazing, highly recommend it. read more

Babbo - Beef Cheek Ravioli 10/10 - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Called in the early West Coast AM on Jan 14th for my Valentine's Day reservation and landed the early bird special at 5:30pm. I was just glad to get in, and boy was I even more glad as I started ordering 30 days later. Most favorite plate- Homemade Orecchiette with Sweet Sausage and Rapini. Best surprise? The recipe is on their website! I'll be having it for dinner again tonight. I don't think you can go wrong here. read more

I've been to Babbo twice now, and done the tasting menu both times. This time it was the traditional tasting menu with the wine pairing. Flawless. My only issue going in was whether or not I could finish it all, especially with 8 glasses of wine to go with the 8 courses. I had been here for Xmas Eve 2009, and couldn't do it. Tip: don't drink before you get there. First course was basically an antipasta. If you want the details, go to Babbo's online menu. No sense in me rehashing it all here. Then 2 pasta course that were rich beyond belief. A pork dish that was swapped in for the beef on the online menu. Next, cheese, which turned out to be one of my favorites. I was scrapping the fennel honey off my plate. I guess my only complaint would be that there is 3 dessert courses. That is one to many for me. I'd rather have an extra appetizer or cheese course. read more

I waited so long to visit Babbo because I assumed--perhaps correctly--that it is both overhyped and a tourist magnet. Even so, Babbo is the bee's knees. First, let's discuss the house Negroni and how perfect it was. Equal parts "Brooklyn Gin," Campari and Carpano Antica. So smooth, and only $11. I opted for the 2-for-1 Negroni special and had two for the mere price of $22. (BTW: "Brooklyn Gin" could actually refer to either Brooklyn Gin or Breuckelen Gin. I didn't think to ask.) Next, antipasti. We ordered the tripe and the pig's foot. Both were delicious, and generously portioned. Pasta? Absolutely. Goose liver ravioli with balsamic vinegar and brown butter was delicious. The sauce an acidic, slightly sweet counterpoint to the rich liver. The meal's overall winner, though, was the Chianti-stained papardelle with wild boar ragu. Oh lordy was that ragu good. For my main, I had fennel-dusted sweetbreads. Nice crust on 'em. I don't remember much about the oxtail gnocchi that Jordan S had. For dessert, we shared an assortment of gelati and sorbetti, which was really good. Truth told, though, we probably should have skipped the sweet course. The service was generous and anticipatory. I feel bad that they have to put up with so many misbehaving tourists. (Why, of course we'll take a picture of you posing with your magnum!) Our sommelier was a really chipper woman who helped us find a good bottle for the right price. The second floor is probably where you want to sit, unless you crave a real bustling restaurant experience. When we sat down at 6:30, Christmas music was playing. After about an hour, it switched to the wrongly-loathed rock soundtrack. Anyone who hates on the music needs to smoke a jay. It's good stuff. read more

While planning our New York trip I searched around Yelp for some must eats. Found many other Yelpers recommending Mario Batali's Babbo. Located just off 6th Ave. on Waverly Place it was a quick subway ride (either the A,B,C,D,E,F or M) from our hotel in midtown. We arrived early and checked in on the first floor which contains the bar and seats. We were taken upstairs to a beautiful dining room. We had a great waiter who sensed this was our first time. He made wonderful suggestions of Grilled Octopus, this is not to be missed it was tender and had a nice flavor from the grill, Prosciutto San Daniele. For pasta dishes we chose Black Spaghetti with Rock Shrimp and Beef Cheek Ravioli. The spaghetti was colored with squid ink and the dish was sublime. The ravioli a signature dish was as good. For entrees I had Grilled Lamb Chops which came with 3 chops and the wife had Rabbit with Spring "Scafata" and Cinzano Vinaigrette. She thought is was divine. We had one of the best meals ever. The wait staff tells us that Mario Batali usually comes in on Thursday we missed him but if we would have seen him I would tell him exactly what i wrote above. A wonderful way to start our vacation. read more

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I don't know ... this is my first day in New York. I'm from Europe and ... honestly, the setting was more promising than what was actually served on the plate. Not bad, not great. read more

7/31 Birthday Dinner Reservation was for 10:30 was not sat until 11:10, was sat next to an obviously intoxicated and incredibly annoying patron named Jimmy, I don't know Jimmy but apparently the restaurant does. I know this because as Jimmy was leaving he dropped a bottle of wine on our table with half a glass left and swore, you guys are crazy if you don't drink this. We'd had a couple of cocktails in the bar before being seated and didn't need any more to drink and so we had our waiter remove "Jimmy's bottle." The sommelier came over and asked "where he bottle Jimmy gave us was," I'm not sure if he intended on taking it away from us? Either way I informed him we'd had the waiter remove it as we weren't interested. The sommelier says "sorry about that, he does that kinda thing all the time. Food was fine, the buffalo mozzarella we started with was pretty exceptional, beef cheek ravioli was pretty outstanding too, barolo braised beef was pretty tasteless as was the polenta it was served with. Service in general was understated but good, however overall experience was seriously lacking. If this is one of New York's gems I'm pretty glad to be in Chicago. read more

One of the best meals we had in New York! The whole fish was deboned at table side(so impressive) we also had the squid ink pasta(excellent), lamb dish(delicious and not gamey). Close to subway and a close walk to Washington square! It was a great find! read more

Squid ink seafood dish was spectacular, great menu, service good be better read more

The traditional tasting menu was very good. The waiter recommended this tasting menu over the pasta tasting menu because there were two pasta dishes that were incorporated into the traditional menu, thus satisfying both areas. The Pecorino Sformato was excellent but very salty. The papardelle, although least unique, was probably my favorite- the morels were incredible. The guinea hen was great as well. The duck tortelli was probably my least favorite, but duck isn't usually my thing. The sommelier was extremely gracious to our table. We ordered a bottle of montepulciano, and when it came time for round 2, he shared that they were out of the bottle that we had initially ordered. He told us that he would bring us another montepulciano for around the same price, and we agreed. He came back with a really good, smoky montepulciano that we all liked. It turns out it was wayyyy more expensive than the first bottle we ordered, but he charged us significantly less. Whatta guy. read more