Deja vu at Il Bagatto

Apples made her triumphant return to NYC from California this week. She asked me to pick a good inexpensive Italian restaurant that would be a fun place to meet up with a group of friends. Since she can't get good NYC Italian where she lives now and my reputation for picking good restaurants is growing the pressure was on...

My first reaction was to hit the Lower East Side/East Village area where there are so many small affordable delicious restaurants and eventually decided on Il Bagatto, a restaurant that Peanut D has recommended for years. RRR & I have been to the enoteca, Il Posto Accanto for some fantastic Italian tapas but I've never been to the restaurant next door with the same owner. Or so I thought.

Walking in, I realized that I had indeed eaten there about a year ago and after settling down at the bar downstairs which serves as a bit of a waiting area, I really felt stupid for touting this as a place I've never been. But I digress from the real purpose of this post - a review...

Our growing party caused us to wait beyond our reservation time (our fault not the hostess who was short but understanding) so in the interim, we ordered some appetizers at the bar. We had the bruschetta which was garlicky (and some of the best tomatoes I've had in the winter) served on a beautiful piece of crunchy Tuscan bread. We also ordered the Fagioli Alla Paolona, cannellini beans served in a crockpot with rosemary, garlic and shallots with some salty foccaccia for dipping. Oh Tuscany, how I miss you so!

Once we sat at our table, we continued the appetizer parade with grilled calamari and some sauteed spinach. The calamari had just the right amount of lemon and the char-grilled fish was not too rubbery, not too chewy. Lucky for me, my dining companions were not into the tentacles, score one for the foodie!

The spinach was decent, fresh but nothing special and with three outstanding appetizers to start our meal, I'll give them a pass on the veggies.

The waitress made the decision of what to eat from the limited yet mouthwatering menu choices even more difficult when she told us of nine specials for the evening: apps, pasta, meat & dessert. I believe they offer a multitude of specials nightly and some are much more interesting and regional than the menu offerings.

Apples went with my runner-up choice, the Gnocchetti Verdi E Blu, homemade gnocchi with spinach in gorgonzola sauce. They call it "too good to be legal!" on the menu and by God, they are right! A decadent, rich dish and it is worth every calorie! (although you may want to split a portion as an appetizer or first course if you want to taste but not be stuffed afterwards).

There was only one order of the special short rib ragu rigatoni with pecorino left and I jumped at the chance to grab the final dish. Score another one for the foodie! The ribs were stringy and tender with just the right amount of sweetness to the sauce of this hearty dish. The pecorino added just a bit more salt to the sweet and I didn't stop until I saw the white of the plate.

We were all very happy with our entrees and lucky for me, no one was grossed out by having forks poked into their plates of pasta and veal (here's the classic penne arrabbiata). This makes the meal a trifecta for the foodie!

Our carb and wine coma set in fast & furious so we passed on dessert - maybe next time on my third visit!

Le Bateau Ivre - oh la la!

RRR, Marcello & I went to dinner on Sunday to Le Bateau Ivre, a French wine bar in Midtown East. Being punctual to a fault, RRR & I arrived first and decided to relive our journey through French wine country by having a tasting of five wines (for a mere 20 bucks) while we waited. We chose wines from Chorey Les Beaune, Morgon, Vacqueyras, Bandol and a Coteaux du Languedoc - all quite lovely despite being a bit too chilled for our liking. In this "flight" the Morgon and the Bandol were the standout wines.

Luckily, our seat at the small bar was right next to the stove, so I got a chance to survey the entrees before we sat down for our meal. Short and sweet, this was pretty darn close to a French casual dining experience. The service was attentive, the wine list was impressive and the entrees were buttery French bistro fare.

RRR had the tartine de brie au miel which they serve on "Poilane"-style bread - can you really go wrong with creamy brie complimented with a touch of sweetness from the honey?

Marcello chose the les cotes d'agneau sauce bordelaise: lamb chops with wine sauce, Montrachet tomato and potato gratin. He was nice enough to 'play along' and let me snap a photo of his dinner.

I went with the filet de bar, fagot de haricots verts lardes et champignons: pan-seared sea bass with string beans wrapped in bacon and mushrooms. The bass was crispy on one side, buttery on the other and the mushrooms were equally buttery and rich without being soggy. And the crispy string beans wrapped up with a bacon ribbon was the proverbial icing on the cake.

We ordered a side of the frites moison which were thin, crispy and salty. All I have to say is WOW!

Oh France, how I miss you so....

Tintol in Times Square

Last night RRR & I had dinner smack dab in the middle of tourist central, Times Square. No we did not dine at Red Lobster, but at Tintol, a Portuguese tapas restaurant a mere block and a half from my office.

The decor was fairly non-descript: dark wooden tables, white walls, exposed brick and candles that actually reminded me of about five other smaller restaurants. The service was attentive and the small menu was easy to navigate.

We wound up sharing four glasses of wine, two Spanish, two Portuguese from different regions of each country. Yes, we are in a bit of 'pre-production' for a Spain-Portugal trip we will hopefully take in the next year and we have to do our research!

On the food side, we each chose two tapas plus an extra for good measure. Wild mushrooms with sherry wine and almondegas (lamb meat balls) for RRR; chorizo and mussels with garlic and white wine for me with an order of mixed olives to kick off our meal.

The tapas was pretty standand and good, but the chorizo was the suprise of the night. It came on a ceramic plate with a (ceramic) rack on top where the chorizo was placed. The waiter doused the chorizo with grappa, set it on fire and we watched the flames crackle as it cooked the sausage. He came over to check on it and turned the chorizo so it wasn't too charred (one side was a bit of a casualty but I like the crispy charcoal) eventually removing the spicy meat and cutting it for us tableside.

I'd share some photos, but unfortunately, I left my camera at home, so my apologies. This is definitely a decent, inexpensive dining option in an area overrun with fast-food chain restaurants so check it out if you are in the neighborhood and looking to escape the jam-packed sidewalks of Times Square.