It's a relaxing vibe at the South end of Gotham West (which is basically a glorified food court) at the counter of dell'anima, but the counter itself has a major design flaw: it's unbearably hot and moist at the corner of the bar near the boilers and ovens. It's so unbearable that everyone gathers at the other end, leaving half of the bar empty. The chef/cook also throws around empty pots and used pans with little regard for customers' experience or eardrums. Meanwhile, the cacio e pepe (Tagliolini) was over-salted to the point of making it barely edible (we're gonna need more water over here :-). The shrimp in the Linguini were unseasoned and bland, and the dish had no flavor of Calabrian chiles, which is what attracted me to the item on the menu. The arugula salad was dressed with a watery lemon juice, which offered no balance usually found in traditional preparations of the dish. We appreciated the freshly made pasta, which was cooked to a perfect tenderness. The wine list was solid and reasonably priced, and the 3-4 servers standing around behind the counter were very friendly and generous. The crowd tended young professionals or tourists who exited the Hudson Bike Path in No Man's land and wandered in. I won't make another trip over, but would try it again if I was nearby...but only if Corner Slice was closed and I couldn't get one of the best slices of pizza in NYC. read more

Came here for dinner, the day before Valentines'15. The atmosphere is pretty laid back and noise level is average. We stayed all the way at the back close to where the chefs' section is.... So we can see them making our food! I must say, there's no wait time here once you order.... Our food just kept on coming. We started with some bruschette: roasted mushrooms, roasted red peppers and lilly confit. The first one was good. Second and Third were okay --- nothing spectacular. Then we ordered an antipasti - octopus and the bone marrow.. The octopus was good but I've had a lot of better ones before. The bone marrow was not exactly how I expected it but however they prepared it, definitely got me! Finally we order pastas: tajarin alla carbonara and orecchiette which is what we're really looking forward to since we knew this spot was owned by the same management as L'Artusi, which served us the best pasta dishes (everything on their menu is incredible!). Unfortunately, it was a big disappointment! The flavors didn't work well together and the carbonara as too salty. Overall, nice spot, good apps but skip the primi! read more

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Very cute italian joint with a small open kitchen. Come with your significant other and get the counter seat by the chef to see them in action. Enjoy their delicious pastas and entrees, with an extremely intimate, warm atmosphere. Though there are no knockout dishes like L'artusi, their flavors and preparations are done right. Unless you're looking for the next IT dish in NYC, you won't leave dell'anima upset - and definitely not hungry. read more

Maybe I was too hyped up on this place from all the other reviews. Somehow I just felt unsatisfied. The atmosphere was a bit rushed and busy. There was one annoying lady at the kitchen counter that laughed like Cruella Deville. The entire room would know she's laughing... However, she didn't noticed that we weren't amused... Fully understand that this was not the restaurant's fault, but still... Onto the food. The carbonara was good, but perhaps a bit heavy on the salt. The Bronzino was the highlight of the meal for me, both in taste and texture - perfectly balanced. The octopus was par in my opinion. Had better, had worse. Guess I will be sticking with Casa Mono... read more

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Very disappointing. Have been eating at Dell'anima for years - in the Village, then at its location at the Gotham food Court and for the past few years since the pandemic by delivery. Unlike other restaurants, Dell'anima's food quality was always excellent and even more importantly consistent - until tonight. The food this evening must have been prepared by someone other than the chef, Andrew. The delicata squash was burnt even charred. The fish, even though in parchment, had a smoky taste and was very over spiced. The chicken wasn't dry but also over spiced and the pear salad just didn't work. All in all, on a scale of one to ten, it was a five. How sad! read more

"Of the soul" is the translation... that aside the wine sommelier is supposed to be one of the best, and the food is creative and delicious. Octopus app was memorable! Enjoyed sitting at the chef's table I prefer L'Artusi but dell'anima offers a more quaint and intimate experience read more

Cute restaurant, good food. Our server for the evening was pleasant and was very helpful with the menu, he helped construct a pleasant evening for me which is plus plus for being a good waiter and wanting your customer to have the best possible evening at your restaurant. I started off with the Octopus, this was an excellent starter, on the salty side but went oh so good with my wine. The only thing is this came with a lot of rice beans and 5 squid legs I expected more legs. Bone Marrow was different from what I'm use to, it was mixed with testa, charred cippolini, pickled red onion put back in the bone and baked. IT was flavorful and a nice change. Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese - Small dish but non the less very good, savory and full filling I can't wait to try their other pasta dishes. Pork Chop- Was tender and juicy, loved the seasoning, only thing with this was the snap peas and carrots were overcooked a bit mushy. Strawberry shortcake, deconstructed, Yum-O Pro's are all listed above. Con's - Very noisy, music was on the loud side and when the restaurant started getting busy it seemed everyone was yelling across their tables. It didn't help that the tables were very close together. Warning -Not a speak easy kind of place. read more

Our entire experience at Dell'anima was perfection. We started the evening unfortunately with some air conditioning issues on an 85 degree summer day...basically the AC above our table was dripping onto the table about every 30 sec. They were extremely apologetic and had people wiping the ceiling every 30 seconds! They also comped us a round of drinks :) I went with a group of 6 and everyone enjoyed their dishes. Standouts include the lily confit bruschetta, tagliatelle, and Bronzino. The service was AMAZING the wine list was outstanding. Will be back once I get through all of the other places in NYC on my list of places to try! read more

Being a big risotto snob, its very rare that I can find a risotto as good as my wild mushroom risotto. I often want to go into restaurant kitchens and scream "YOU CALL THAT RISOTTO!" in my best Gordon Ramsay voice. Dell'Anima is an intimate small restaurant that makes the best risotto and brussel sprouts (YES, brussel sprouts!) that I have ever had. Their brussel sprouts will make you go home and add dried cherries, red onions, pumpkin seeds, and honey to whatever excuse for brussel sprouts you've been cooking. If you can get a table, they are awesome option for brunch, lunch, or dinner. They even have seats over looking their open kitchen (nothing emits confidence and craftsmanship like an open kitchen). Here's a YouTube video of their brussel sprouts recipe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoCkowPUN7A read more

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My boyfriend and I LOVE this place. It's pretty difficult to snag reservations, but I got lucky one Thursday evening. Brunch is a better bet if you want to check out the menu, but the pastas are different (even though the menus on the website suggest otherwise). For dinner, we ordered the charred octopus with rice beans and chorizo. Chewy, delectable goodness...I found myself eyeing the octopus and hoping my boyfriend wouldn't want his half of the tentacles. I ordered a pappardelle with duck ragu -- very thick noodles that were a little unwieldy to cut, but the duck ragu was crispier and fattier than I expected. Not a bad thing. To my surprise, I preferred my boyfriend's orecchiette with cauliflower and crushed walnuts. Simply delicious...we sort of ended up switching plates by the end of dinner. Dessert was the cornbread (bread) pudding with fig compote and ricotta ice cream. The last thing I expected was for those three things to go together, but it was a nearly perfect dessert. Warm, hearty cornbread with a light ricotta touch, and fruity fig. The waiter grinned when we ordered it: always a good sign. I also had reservations for brunch the next week which my boyfriend wouldn't let me cancel, so we went back. Spiced apple bundt cake comes with a pine nut, honey mascarpone = perfect fall bread that's not too moist or too dry. The grilled bread served at the beginning was perfection, though I wished later that I'd saved more of it for my baked eggs with pancetta. Loved the dish -- two runny eggs with a tomato based stew. Boyfriend ordered yet another pasta -- trofie with octopus and peppers. This time, I liked my dish more. Very different atmospheres for brunch and dinner. Dinner is darkly lit, and almost certainly crowded. Brunch was hardly full at all. Both were wonderful dining experiences, so I highly recommend this place. If you can, try to get seats overlooking the kitchen for dinner. read more

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Let's get the somewhat negative stuff out of the way first. They used to be in an intimate stand alone spot in the Village and are now in one of those new Fangled semi upscale food courts toward Times Sq. Ambiance matters, and while these new formats make sense, something is lost. Second, they used to have one of the finest red Italian wine lists in the city, and in the new format, they have 5 red wine choices. While it's an excellent short list..truly excellent...my 2 mid priced favorites are gone. Just another example of trending restaurant things, I suppose. By the way, prior to these changes, this was by far my absolute favorite place to eat in the city amongst thousands of choices. On the bright side, the move allowed the excellent and ridiculously hard working chef to buy the business and his team is phenomenal, so maybe it's nitpicking. OK. Bottom line is always the food. The service was friendly as we sat at the chef counter, and after a while we were able to ignore the big screen tv in our peripheral vision across the hall. They do have a small room that is quiet and separate, and we didn't know that so next time...though I'll miss the show the chefs put on. The food! Still amazing. Maybe the best pastas in the area, and that's saying a lot. Creative yet simple salads are offered as well, and they don't fall into that fusion food trap where there are too many ingredients to differentiate. Their endive salad is a must. My favorite entree remains the parchment wrapped fish, but all are good choices. Ok...yes lots of quibbles. Yes, my original 5 star review has dropped to 4 but it isn't food related. I highly recommend you seek this place out and find out for yourselves. After being away for 5 years, it was a real pleasure to return. read more

Cute, romantic spot. Be prepared for very close seating! Started with the 3 bruschetta spreads. The roasted red pepper one was my favorite. The lily confit was a bit spicy for me. The mushroom resembled satueed mushrooms and not exactly a spread but still tasty. For entrees we had the orchiette and bolognese. We were able to substitute bucatini for the bolognese. Both pastas were flavorful - i am not sure which was better. The short rib in the orchiette was tender and melted in my mouth. L'artusi has more options but I think del' anima is equal in taste and service. Plus it is easier to get a reservation! read more

Dell'anima - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

It's... Okay. The service is FABULOUS! Our waiter was attentive, polite, and very nice. I had the house cocktail, which was very pleasant, a good combination of flavors but nothing that really 'wowed' me. The highlight of the evening was the bone marrow. You. Need. To. Have. The. Bone. Marrow. Our main courses consisted of the carbonara, and the fried gnocchi, both of which were... Meh. The flavors were bland. The side was an order of the broccoli rabe, which was so bitter I thought it would start reprimanding me for not giving it grandchildren. All in all, if you're a fan of Italian food and you happen to be in the area, it's certainly an intimate spot for date night, however I won't be returning, nor will I be recommending it to anyone. read more

I expected more from you Dell Anima! After being hyped by my friends (and their friends and so on) I expected the most delicious Italian meal that I've had in ages. Sadly, I left slightly disappointed. Had a 6:30 reservation. Half of our party arrived a little earlier and had to wait for the other half (a total of 4 of us) before we could be seated. Ordered the bruschette with 3 toppings - soft egg, avocado, and a dried fruit. You get a bowl of bread which you can continue to ask for more if you're not done with the toppings. Needless to say, we went through three bowls of bread. The soft egg tasted bland to me, I didn't bother having any more after the first bite. The avocado was salty and delicious. I am a big fan of avocado, so to me, this was perfect. The surprisingly delicious dried fruit had me going back for more. It was a little like a jelly/paste that was a mixed fruit flavour. It tasted delicious on the bread and I would definitely get it again. We also ordered two pastas and two entrees. We ordered pasta that had long flat buckwheat noodles (which I had never seen this style of noodle before) and another was the pizzocheri (tagliatelle with butter, sage, potato, walnut, and cheese). Both pastas were quite tasty, but the servings were incredibly small for the $13-$17 pricetags. As for the entrees, we ordered their signature dish, the Chicken "al Diavolo" with roasted fennel ($20) and the Halibut ($29). The Halibut was mediocre at best. I've had much better fish in the past. As for the chicken - I was shocked at how much I "disliked" it. I use "dislike" lightly because I could still eat it, but due to the incredible spiciness, I wasn't sure if I was enjoying it. We also ordered a almond cake. I only had a bite, but it didn't impress me. Overall, I didn't feel the $33 per person bill (including tip) was worth the meal. I was expecting to be wowed, but unfortunately, while it was good, it wasn't THAT good. The only thing I'd go back for is the bruschette. :) read more

Dell'anima - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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I came here for dinner late on Wednesday night. I don't usually eat a lot of Italian food out, but was very happy with my choice to eat at Dell'Anima. We started with the Bruschetta - sampled the Lily Confit, Cannellini, and Octopus. All three were excellent - my favorite was the Lilly and my boyfriend enjoyed the Cannellini, which looked similar to hummus. The bread was rustic and warm. I got the linguine with uni, tomatoes, and basil. A delightful choice - I could taste that the pasta was homemade and the light sauce was perfectly seasoned. My boyfriend tried the pasta with the pork belly (the name is escaping me) and was equally satisfied. Our waiter was very accommodating and friendly. He even let us sample a couple of wines before we made our selection. The place is small so I imagine it being super packed on the weekend, but at around 11 pm on a Wed, it wasn't crowded. Prices are also very reasonable and portion sizes are perfect. read more

This restaurant reminds me a lot of Batali's Lupa restaurant in Greenwich Village. They're both Italian restaurants which specialize in homemade pasta and have similarily styled menus with antipasta, primi and secondi dishes. Prices by themselves are not super expensive, but I can see where things could easily add up to bust your wallet by the end of the night. For a light dinner I had the tagliatelle alla bolognese, peared with a nice red wine. Both were excellent. Next time I'll have to try a secondi dish. That will be for my secondi visit. read more

Dell'anima - Tagliatelle pasta with bolognese sauce - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Fab 5 Freddie!!! Fabulous. Everything was superb. I generalize because my partner ordered everything and I didn't pay attention. One standout, you Must try the Bone Marrow. I thought 'eww', but I was pleasantly surprised. We brought our own wine, so there's that. Loved it. read more

This wine bar serves up some delicious food and great wine. Owned by the same restaurant group as L'Artusi, you know it has to be good. We had the bolognese and the mushroom pasta. Both were good, but I preferred the bolognese. I will definitely be coming back here soon. The bartender offered great service as well. Also, it was pretty busy for a Wednesday night! read more

Dell'anima - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

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The place is great, but what really makes it stand out is the chef counter in front of the open kitchen. Watching them work in harmony and witnessing the precision and focus these two had was mesmerizing. And my mouth was watering the whole time. I want to try everything. We had the summer corn, orecchiette, tajarin and robiola panna cotta. Everything was so fresh, especially the pasta. I wouldn't have changed a thing and this will definitely be a regular spot. I thought it was pretty cool when being brought desert, there was also a cup of gelato for my self and my date- compliments of the chef. This place is an experience and I love it. read more

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Super cute Italian restaurant in the West Village. Open kitchen. Intimate atmosphere. Three words: tagliatelle alla bolognese. Holy moly...this was excellent. And 100% worth coming back for. The pollo al diavolo is also delish. I ordered the Branzino (which seems to be a popular choice here), and found it sub-par. The fish quality, while excellent, was so bland. And the mix of flavors in the dish just did not work for me. We also ordered the bruschette to start - loved the lily confit, mushrooms, and ricotta. They all complemented each other. Also, the arugula salad was simple + delish. Good service! Made rezzies a month in advance to snag a good time. read more

Dell'anima is one of the most underrated restaurants on the west side of Manhattan. My favorite dishes are the parpadelle with mushrooms and the pollo diavlo. They are unique in taste and always satisfy my palate. If you're in the market for a cheat meal, definitely go for the cacio e Pepe!! The staff is so friendly and truly make the experience worthwhile. They will allow you to do wine taste tests before you commit to a full bottle and their recommendations are always top notch! If you're a seafood lover, the octopus is unmatched! The restaurant is located in Gotham west market and the chefs counter is perfect for date night! read more

I initially came to Gotham Market to go to Ivan Ramen, but they were closed. I turned around and looked across the way and saw a bustling Italian counter style restaurant that had 2 open seats. When I sat down I was greeted by the nicest man who gave me a break down of the menu and suggested some of his favorites. I asked him for a wine recommendation and he demanded that I try a few until I found one I liked! For food, I ordered the diablo chicken wings and the tajarin alla carbonara. My date ordered the spaghetti alla arrabiata which was gluten free!! The entire menu comes as gluten free which is fantastic, especially for those who suffer from gluten intolerance. The meal was fantastic. The service was fantastic. The wine was fantastic (heavy pour!). I need to come back and try everything else on the menu!! read more

Dell'anima - Tajarin Alla Carbonara - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4. When you can't snag a reservation at L'Artusi, try your luck at dell'anima. The preparation styles are very similar, and so is the menu to a certain extent. It is a quieter, smaller, and less upscale version of L'Artusi. The wine list is great, even by the glass. The food is on point, special shout outs go to the roasted beets, brussels sprouts, tajarin ala carbonara (the gooey egg yolk makes it extra decadent), and the branzino. Give the bruschette a miss - they were just hard pieces of toasts with dips. Service is always friendly and adequate. read more

Dell'anima specializes in pasta. Picture squash and penne and linguini but then just the last two and then generalize; that is pasta. The chefs concocted for us an al dente bucatini all's arrabbiata (with Calabrian chilies, tomato and pecorino breadcrumbs). This dish combined powerful flavors with an ideal texture. Also, we received a tajarin alla carbonara (sunny side up egg, speck and ramps). To start (stay with me, I'm playing with timelines), we had the octopus with chorizo. An octopus is like a fish except that it is an intelligent soft-bodied eight-armed mollusk that neither looks nor tastes like fish. Have you ever seen a fish with arms and suction cups? Didn't think so. This octopus was no exception, and while not the best I've ever had, it was real good. The space has a charming, rustic vibe and feels much more casual than other pasta powerhouses like L'Artusi or Il Buco. I've never been to the latter but googled some photos. read more

Do yourself a favor and sit st the chefs table so you can watch Andrew Whitney and team create and execute well seasoned dishes in a tight kitchen. Pastas we had were super. Two pasta we shared; the tagliatelle bolognese and orecchiette with pancetta were perfect compliments of salt and savory. Seasonal peaches side dish was also a nice accompaniment to our pasta. It was sweet and kind of caramelized with bits of chorizo and very good. Lastly, have the perfect Italian desert, an affogato and thank Andrew and the crew for the lesson in creating flavors and properly seasoning food. read more

Dell'anima is without a doubt my favorite restaurant in the city. The staff are sweet, friendly, and fun making it feel very personal. The food is unbelievable and the wine and cocktails are amazing. The menu frequently changes with great specials so there is always something new to try. The new late night Vietnamese Pho on Friday and Saturday is the perfect food for recharging before late night shenanigans. In fact, it's unquestionably the best Pho I've had in NYC. read more

Dell'anima - Late night Pho and wine. - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

I have been to Dell' anima many times for their Italian Food and it's always excellent so when I saw they were offering late night Pho it made me curious to see if the restaurant can pull off a different cousine. Personally since my boyfriend is asian , I have been introduced to great Pho on the west coast and also have tried several placed in New York and would consider myself capable of distinguishing good quality Pho . In general my experience with Pho in NYC has not been the best and I was suspicious if a trendy italian restaurant in West Village could deliver some solid Pho, but decided to try it. I went around 11 pm with close friends to try their late night Pho debut. To start , the restaurant had it's same welcoming ambiance and excellent service during the late night Pho . I was stuck late at work and was starving , the food came in a very timely fashion. I took my first bite and it was some of the most tender meat I have ever tasted along with a subtle but very flavorful soup and noodles cooked to a perfect texture. I can't wait to go back and have it again after a happy hour or before a night out. Glad to have Dell' animas late night Pho in the neighborhood . read more

Came here as a group of about 10 on a Friday night. Small, intimate setting. I really enjoyed this and we didn't have to really worry about being too loud. It was close to the kitchen too. The guy that organized the meal knew a lot of the staff, so we were able to get the meal split up in courses and then served family style. We started with an arugula salad. After that it got a little fuzzy. The charred octopus was pretty good. The pastas were great, really enjoyed the bone marrow and then finally the breaded chicken at the end was fantastic. I liked the branzino too. The price seemed to be outstanding and I had a great time and would come back for sure. read more

My new favorite chefs counter - Lived the food, the vibes, the chefs are personable but very focused. It's a warm and cozy vibe. The waitresses at the chefs counter know the wine list very well. The bone marrow and branzino are delish! read more

Dell'anima - Italian Near Me - New York, New York

Very strange place. It bills as Italian, but this isn't Italian. At least not anymore. I'd say at this point it's fusion at best. Bone marrow, Octopus with Chorizo, Shishito Peppers. Scallops with strawberry orange purée. It's a new American restaurant that uses some Italian words and influence on the menu. The food isn't bad - some things are quite good like pastas and appetizers, some things were quite bad - like those Scallops. The thing is, as a new American place, there are way way better. And, as an Italian place there are way, way better. It's small, loud, sort of smoky, chaotic. There isn't really a "good" seat. It's all a bit disorganized. So I'm not totally sure where this fits in to someone's repertoire. Late night snacks and wine? Speaking of, the wine list is ok. Nothing amazing, but not bad. Pretty standard selections across the board. read more

After a stressful day at work and in need for a relaxing glass of wine I went to dell'anima. I did not have a reservation so I decided to sit at the bar. The bartender was welcoming when I approached the bar. For a Monday night the restaurant was alive. I ordered a glass of wine for begin my evening and Elizabeth (I think was her name) did not pressure me to order food which I appreciated. However, the smell was so intoxicating that I decided to order my favorite.... the bone marrow! As always it never disappoints! The manager approached me and several others at the bar and thank us for joining them that evening. Asked if we were being taken care of since the restaurant and bar were busy. Everyone around me was so welcoming and attentive that it will definitely bring me back. What started as a stressful Monday ended in a great Monday! read more

Didn't heed the warning of reviewers on Yelp and ordered the tajarin alla carbonara...never tasted such a heavily salted dish! Yikes x10! Do not make the same mistake as me - eat it only on a dare. Other than the aforementioned mishap, the charred octopus was delicious, the hanger steak was okay but nothing to shout about. Great service and friendly staff. read more

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Easily my favorite restaurant in the city. I've been a fan of them since they were located in the West Village. While this is now in a communal-type space and definitely has a different vibe, it is still my favorite and so amazing. I always appreciate getting a bar seat to chat up the chef (who also happens to be a Minnesota native)-- very cool New York-feel. The food is INSANELY good - the chicken diavola is the best chicken dish I've ever had at a restaurant. 10/10 recommend. read more

Can't say enough about this little Italian gem! The hostess was amazing, our flight was delayed and then getting to the hotel was an hour! They were so accommodating and worked so effortlessly to get us in. Bruschetta, wine, octopus, pappadelle and carbonara oh my! Amazing....did I say amazing and the waiter was sweet and kind and oh so helpful. My friend Katie told me about this place and she was right on the money...amazing!!! Thank you for the best Italian experience dell'anima xx read more

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Would do 0 stars if I could. Rudest general manager I have EVER encountered. I called 45 mins in advance to get a reservation and they said the bar was first come first serve. We get to the bar and there are 8 open seats. We sit down and order wine and the general manger says we can't sit there because there's a "wait list". Still unclear how that "wait list" works (pretty certain it's reserved for friends of the manager). We continue to wait. Two women get seated at the bar and literally apologized to us because they had no idea why they were seated before us (they were not on a wait list). 50 mins after we had been waiting, four more seats at the bar open up and we sit down and the bartender takes our order. The general manager comes out of his way to make us get up out of our seats because "someone else" was on the waitlist (they were not there). We finally walked out after an hour of waiting. I'll never go back. read more

Horrible tea. Horrible coke. Not sure how you screw those two things up. Oh, and had to pay $8.72 for hose two beverages we couldn't drink. Would give zero stars if Yelp allowed. read more

If food has a master, it is salt. I like salt. It has fascinated me from my school days. In chemistry, I loved seeing the flame colors of various metal salts (barium: apple green, and potassium: lilac were my favorites). In economics, I learnt that salt had once served as currency. In history I learned that Gandhi launched his non-violent movement for Indian Independence by making salt from the sea, thereby defying the British Salt Tax. Perhaps impressed by the fact that salt is the only rock we eat, dell'Anima is launching its own culinary movement, of accentuating salt. Sadly the movement has grown violent, as it occasionally engages in all-out war on the senses thus drowning out the flourishes and nuances of textural complexity and heat of the supporting cast. This has been a grudging acknowledgment for me. I loved dell'Anima the first time I visited (last August). I love the neighborhood (who doesn't). I loved the affordable wine options. The room was warm, the ambiance inviting, and the service extremely attentive. To top it all, they had the (then) best chicken dish I had tasted in a very long while: "the chicken al diavolo". The layer of skin complemented the juiciness of the boneless half-chicken, which had been rubbed generously with smoked Paprika. The accompanying braised escarole and currants just rounded out the flavors magnificently. It was lip-smacking good. Eating beautiful food in the midst of beautiful people (mind you, not the 'salt of the earth' types), you couldn't get better than this. Or, so I thought. As the popularity of dell'Anima soared, and one couldn't get a table at a decent dining hour for a month in advance, the service started to wilt and the salt excesses started becoming apparent. In a subsequent visit, the award winning bruschette (a do-it-yourself version with bread and 3-5 different spreads) no longer seemed as winning. While the chickpea with lime, the avocado, and the lily confit (shallot, onion, garlic) spreads thrilled - the ricotta with sea salt, and the tuna with fennel disappointed. Nevertheless, my vegetarian friend still found the Agnolotti with squash and sage in brown butter sauce as the best pasta dish she had ever had. It should be clear that dell'Anima's loyalties are towards salt, and not sugar. Even though they have two kinds of cake for dessert: the flourless chocolate cake, and the espresso almond cake, their heart isn't in it. I would still pick the espresso almond, to complete the meal. I don't know whether the owners were inspired by the fairy tale of Cap-o-Rushes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cap_O%27_Rushes ) when they decided to highlight the salt, but most people I know have a different relationship with salt. Don't get me wrong, Salt: I like you. Just not like that. (THAT would be sugar) ;) read more

This past weekend was my PIC's last hurrah in NYC. It was a Sex and the City sort of night, the girls were dressed up, ready for a good meal and to cause some trouble out and about afterwords. She asked me to put together a "goodbye dinner" for Saturday night. Seeing as she loves Italian and Dell'Anima has been on my list for quite a while I decided we should give it a try. There are many things that have puzzled me from SATC over the years. 1) How someone with a weekly column can afford that many Manolo's? 2) How does one hop in a cab at a hot club downtown and arrive back in the UES so quickly? 3) Is there really one of those so called "closets" at Vogue? While I may never know the answers to those questions I have learned that in this city your friends become your family. And just as Carrie would say when one of your best girlfriends decides to leave New York, it really is the end of an era. I'm a big fan of L'Artusi (for the record even after this meal I do think L'Artusi is better) so I was excited to try Dell'Anima. The space is smaller than L'Artusi but also has that open, airy kitchen feel. It's dimly lit with candlelight and has a romantic vibe. One wall has exposed brick and the light sconces look like tree branches. It's perfect for a date or fun night out on the town. If you have an option I'd recommend the higher tables, perfect for our little group without feeling like we were shouting at each other. I will say, their wine list is on the pricier side. There really aren't too many $50-60 options. Unlike true SATC fashion we split a couple bottles of vino before we moved into cocktails. Food wise we started with the brushette, which are really more like dips with fresh bread that traditional brushette. We tried all five: the red pepper, the octopus, the avocado, the squash and apple, and the onion. My favorite hands down were the red pepper and avocado. We also split both the roasted beets salad and the arugula. Both were simple yet excellent, the ingredients were so fresh. For my pasta I choose the duck confit gnocchi. It may have been the best decision I made all night (well that and stopping at Bleaker pizza at 4am on the way home in order to help my hangover). It was incredible. The flavor was rich without being too heavy and it was the perfect amount of pasta. The others were not so lucky and we agreed that the gnocchi was the winner hands down. We also had a plate of brussels for the table which were quite good too. Dell'Anima was perfect for starting off our girls night. Stay tuned for the next episode when we visit our PIC out in LA and recreate the NYC girls trying to drive through LA and sneaking our way into the Playboy Mansion... read more

One of my favorite West Village spots - food is amazing, great wine selection and the space is intimate. The pappardelle, bolognese or venison are solid go-to's on the menu. Reservations are advised. read more

Rustic, Elegant, and Well Executed Italian Al dente, full of flavor, and Home Made. Great service, beautiful interior, you definitely get what you pay for. Strong drinks, friendly attentive staff, would recommend to anyone living in or visiting NYC. If you're craving traditional bruschetta don't order the dish here. It's certainly a different twist, very creative, but NOT for me. If you're comfortable sitting on top of your neighbors you'll like this place, they take cozy to the next level. The subtle details of the interior are rather enjoyable, lines running up the wall curve into the ceiling, and gentle tones leave you at ease. My friend's brother has been coming here for a long time and told us that it would be great. He was spot on; plenty of people here looked like they were on dates. Date Rating: 8 Pick up Scale: 2 Strong Suggestion: Make a reservation, sure to be a hit. read more