Borgo Antico - A neighborhood gem

MPV came into the city last night and I found myself struggling to pick a restaurant. I wanted somewhere low key and casual, with great food. Ideally, it would be one of the few places left in my Union Square neighborhood where I've never been eaten before.

The amount of restaurant choices sometimes leaves me paralyzed by indecision. In the embarrassment of culinary riches that is the New York City dining scene 'too much' can often be as frustrating as 'not enough'. (What a rough life, huh?)

The eventual winner: Borgo Antico!

We arrived on the early side of the dinner rush and were offered a large table near the window on the second floor of Borgo Antico's charming townhouse. After ordering a bottle of Valpolicella Marion from the well-priced wine list, we decided to start our meal with a bit of salumi and cheese.

We chose an aged salumi and a cow and sheep blend cheese to start. They were presented on small cutting boards with an adorable butcher knife for the cheese wedges. Both plates puzzlingly came with hazelnuts, sliced red onion and mushrooms but also with a delightful bit of honey complete with pears. Unfortunately, only one piece of toasted bread came with each order but our bread basket was able to provide some additional cheese and honey vehicles for us.

For our main course, we both went with pasta dishes. MPV chose the pappardelle con ragu di funghi while I went with the ricotta gnocchi with sausage and mushrooms (my apologies for not writing down the official name of this pasta special).

MPV's pappardelle was in a hearty ragu of assorted mushrooms and the scent from the truffle "perfume" wafted above the table as soon as the waiter presented the dish. The pasta was fresh and perfectly cooked and the earthiness of the mushrooms were complemented by the subtly of the truffles.

My gnocchi were small, light and melted in my mouth. The tomato sauce was hearty and while I did feel that there weren't enough sausage or mushrooms in the dish the perfect execution of the gnocchi more than made up for it. Most gnocchi on Italian restaurant menus tend to be heavy and sit in your stomach like a ton of bricks after two bites. In Borgo Antico's case, this was one of the few times that I took a chance on gnocchi and was pleasantly surprised when my gamble paid off.

While Borgo Antico is not a 'fancy restaurant' by any means, it is a down-to-earth comfortable neighborhood place with good sized portions and gentle prices. Judging by the amount of people who had filled the restaurant by the time we left; this is not so much a neighborhood secret as it is a great date place or in this case a place to spend some quality time with one of your best friends!

Culinary Gifts: The Results Post

I finally opened one of my Laura Chenel goat cheeses I received from Brian and Ron. After some extensive internal dialogue, I went for the herb and it served as the inspiration for today's side salad.

The salad was comprised of: baby arugula, sliced orange segments, herb goat cheese, sherry vinegar and olive oil. I was hoping to add some pistachios to the mix, but until I can stock up at Manhattan Fruit and Vegetable Exchange, it was not meant to be. In the end, the salad did not need anything else.

The peppery bite of the arugula was smoothed over by the creamy richness of the goat cheese. The cheese had a nice hit of fresh herbs on the back end and the orange provided a bit of juicy sweetness to the salad. The sherry vinegar and Spanish olive oil from my recent trip to Spain were just mild enough to bring the salad together in perfect harmony.

What a perfect way to get me out of my salad rut!