Foodie Finally hits Del Posto!

RRR, Mitch & Queenie decided to spend the weekend in New York at the "Hotel Foodie". When the four of us get together it's all about what we are going to eat and drink.

Our weekend kicked into high gear on Friday night with a long-awaited visit to that Batali-Bastianch mecca of high-end Italian cuisine, Del Posto. Would it live up to the hype? Is the menu more Mario or Lidia? Would I blow my entire paycheck on this meal?

The dining room was beautiful and the service was formal yet welcoming. As usual, I left the wine selection to RRR & Mitch and began to navigate the extensive menu. After much debate, many questions to the waiter and a discussion over our collective orders, here's the final decisions:

Our meal started with an amuse bouche which included a delightful whipped swordfish made in the style of baccala and served panini-style as well as a parmesan fritter along with two others I am forgetting at the moment. But on to the main event:

Antipasti:
FUNGHI Misti with Smoked Pancetta, Radicchio and Uova in Camicia - mushrooms with pancetta, radicchio and a poached egg. RRR decided to forgo the egg but I think she missed out since it added a richness to the otherwise standard roasted veggies. The pancetta was perfect and smoky and the egg really made this appetizer work

Mario's COTECHINO with Champagne Zabaglione, Lentils and Laurel - house cured sausage boiled and served tableside over a custard-like base of zabaglione with a sprinkling of lentils. While the sausage was tasty with a bit of a nutty cinnamon undertone the custard was a bit much. This would have worked better had it had some tart versus a sweet accompaniment. (RRR was a bit grossed out by the tableside meat from a sterno service but then again she's not a super-carnivore like me)

Primi:
AGNOLOTTI dal Plin in Parmigiano-Reggiano Brodo and Truffle Butter - pumpkin ravioli with cheese and just the right touch of truffle butter to make this pasta outstanding! Mario & Lidia always excel in all things pasta and this dish caused unanimous oohs and ahhs around the table. I really don't know what else to say except if you eat here you must order this!


RISOTTO with Barolo and Castelmagno - risotto cooked in red wine served over a carrot puree. Queenie was all about the risotto and we were a bit adventurous to steer away from the other lobster & mushroon risotto offerings to go for this. I was a bit concerned about how the cheese and red wine would mix with the risotto but this was like nothing I've had before and the sweetness of the carrot put this dish in perfect balance. Don't let the mediocre picture fool you - this was amazing! Nicely done Q!

Secondi:
Rare TUNA with Bresaola, Ventresca and Caponata - this was Queenie's pick and since I do not eat tuna (yes a foodie faux pas) I cannot comment on this one - Queenie want to weigh in? I did taste some of her seared foie gras but I am still spoiled from France and basically cannot eat foie gras this side of the Atlantic anymore.

PORK LOIN with Grilled Celery, Artichoke, and Cynar - Mitch's choice and since I do love all things swine I was all over this one. The pork was perfectly cooked; juicy and flavorful.

Grilled DELMONICO with Broccoli Rabe and Tortino di Ricotta - RRR chose the steak which when served looked more like a beef tenderloin; a perfectly cooked buttery beef tenderloin that is! The ricotta tart, broccoli rabe and broccoli rabe puree elevated this dish to well-beyond standard steakhouse fare.

Apician Spiced DUCK and Battuto Crudo in Brodetto - after consulting with the waiter, I chose the duck. It was an unusual preparation and I'm going to guess a nod to Lidia's Istrian roots? The duck was as tender and buttery as RRR's steak and served over a bed of tart creamy cabbage. The meat had a slight Asian-spice to it and I can really only summarize this dish as "OUTRAGEOUS"!!!! It certainly made me feel like the large chunk of change I was going to put out for this dinner was worth it and despite being the only duck freak at the table, we decided this was 'the' dish!

The dessert offerings were inviting but at this point we were stuffed and had polished off our second bottle of wine. We were given a tableside assortment of cookies and were wowed by the white chocolate concoction. Was it made with rice crispies? Oats? Who knows? Who cares! It was the perfect ending to our decadent meal.

I certainly feel like Lidia, the Queen of Italian cuisine, has more of a stamp on the menu than Mario who receives more press and this is certainly not your Italian-American pizzeria type fare. The menu tends to be more regional Italian so if you are not an adventurous eater you may want to check out the menu online first.

And while there were many outstanding dishes, the formality and high prices would certainly prohibit future visits for this foodie; especially when there's Babbo (not cheap either mind you), Lupa, Felidia and Becco - that is unless Queenie, Mitch or RRR are picking up the tab!