Feeling mucho better. And,it's about time I filled y'all in on my "dinner at Babbo." (Yes, I'll get to San Francisco! Hold your horses. One meal at a time, lest you and I get indigestion.)
The evening began innocently enough. My pal Christine, in the restaurant biz for years, suggested that we go to Bread Bar at Tabla for dinner. Life hadn't been fun as of late. I needed some glamour, some exotic cocktails and a good gal pal for major dishing. Christine used to work for Danny Meyers and she was pretty sure that somebody she knew would be working there that night. It all sounded good to me.
Then tragedy struck. She couldn't get a reservation and didn't want to pull strings.
Didn't want to pull strings? I'll teach her. Don't worry.
Needless to say, it wasn't like New York wasn't filled with oodles of other options - including Eleven Madison Park right next door.
We parked ourselves at the restaurant's elegant Art-Deco bar for a single haute cocktail to start the evening off right. One cocktail soon turned into three - with two of them on the house, not to mention a complimentary basket of warm, cheesy Gougere puffs and a remarkable appetizer of One-Side Seared Tuna Tartare with Lemon Vinaigrette, Fried Capers. All this arrived at our corner of the bar compliments of a waitress friend of Christine who happened to be working that night.
It was lovely. But, should we press our luck and stay for dinner? "No," it was decided. We didn't want to overstay our welcome. But, where to go next? What could follow-up the last glorious (and inexpensive) two hours?
As I have mentioned on this site, Babbo has been my all time "get" in terms of a prime reservation. Would I dare? Of course! I called.
"How long is a wait for a party of two right now?"
Then a miracle happened.
"No wait. I actually have three tables open."
We weren't about to blow off a miracle. We high-tailed it outta Eleven Madison Park and zipped down to the Village, where we were presented with a perfectly situated table in the front room, shaded by cherry blossom branches that seemed arch out of their vase with the express purpose of arching over our corner of the dining room.
No sooner did we take our seats, when Christine noticed a man out of the corner of her eye. A former lover? A new one? No! Much better!!! A former restaurant co-worker, now happily employed at Babbo.
A complimentary appetizer of Asparagus with Duck Egg and Parmesan was rushed to the table. Mmmm...Ideal brunch fare. A bit rich for a starter, considering we'd already "started" at Eleven Madison Park, but who were we to complain? Besides, we were at Babbo. Excess was in order!
Well then, the Pasta Tasting Menu was a must:
*Black Tagliatelle with Peas and Parmigiano
*Asparagus and Ricotta "Mezzalune" with Scallion Butter
*Garganelli with "Funghi Trifolati"
*Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage
*Pappardelle Bolognese
*Mozzarella "Fatta in Casa" with Blood Oranges and Da Vero
For dessert, two plates were presented:
*Saffron Panna Cotta with Vanilla-Scented Mango and Mango Sorbetto
*Pistachio and Chocolate Semifreddo
All in all, pretty tasty. But, worth all the fuss? Heck, no!
The first pasta course, actually ended up being the very best. The Mezzalune and Garganelli were doused in too much butter to take more than one or two bites. The Love Letters were refreshing after all that fat, but I was disappointed that the sausage didn't have more of a kick to off-set the pasta's sweet pea and fresh mint filling. And, the Paparadelle was good - but not amazing. (I've been know to pick up the Babbo Cookbook and whip up "Bastardized Babbo Bolognese" fixing Mario's recipe, so this was no suprise.)
The cheese course was a grievous error on a plate. Both Christine and I took one taste and pushed it aside. Not so for the desserts though. They were exceptionally yummy. And, the complimentary glasses of Moscato D'Asti were exceptionally yummy too.
At the evening's end, we tallied our total for the evening. Astonishingly, it was less expensive than our one-stop whirlwind drinks and dinner week's ago at The Biltmore Room - where we knew no one.
Moral of the story: Be a people person.