In the East Village we were introduced to place that has a magical understanding of Italian cuisine. Deceptively and beautifully simple and clean, each dish here consisted of fantastically balanced fresh ingredients. Inside the traditional and unassuming street front the place is dark and cramped space (very NY) with an open kitchen. The staff is really friendly and quickly adjusted their typical pace upon finding we had a game to get to.
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Bread arrives, crusty and served with…anyone? No, not butter, not olive oil with cracked pepper, but beans. A bowl of white beans straddles the edge of the plate and I was informed these were something special. Special is a great description. White beans with a perfect mélange of spices, they were so good, I quickly got excited about our outing. Bread and beans would have made the trip worthwhile alone. We shared a black kale panzanella with wheat bread, tomatoes, capers and bright vinaigrette that sensationally complimented the bitterness of the kale. Everything was simple, understated and wonderful. From the menu we ordered a chicken parmesan sandwich, two bowls of Spaghetti Limóne and a Tagliatelli with Lamb Ragu. Now the most irritating thing about this whole experience is that I often order the worst thing on the table in an effort to ensure we have tasting options. I often don’t order something because someone else has and I know I will get at least a bite, so I pick the next best sounding. |
Black Kale Panzanella |
Stupendous Chicken Parm |
Wide Ribbons are Necessary to Deliver the Lamby Goodness |
I broke my streak here with the Lamb Tagliatelli. Actually I didn’t break my streak, Supper Restaurant did, there wasn’t a thing that hit our table that wouldn’t make me happy. The Lamb Ragu though was deep and replete with tomato and lamb savoriness with thick ribbons of perfect Tagliatelli. The sandwich was outstanding thin layers of breaded chicken delicious sauce, gooey cheese, and a hard crusted roll. The real standout of the night, however, was the Spaghetti Limóne. I can’t begin to imagine how such simple ingredients fuse to make anything taste like this. It is more lemony than lemonade and the saltiness of the parmesan on top dials the pucker factor back to simple magnificence. If you get a chance find your way to Supper Restaurant. Our first New York Meal this trip was simply outstanding. It’s a good thing we don’t live there, with this place around the corner the staff would grow to despise me after having to roll my fat butt back to the apartment post-gorge every night. |
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A | A | B+ | A+ | N/A | A | ||
All Standouts | Everything was Great |