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Corsino Cantina: My college friends picked this spot, and they always work hard to bring me somewhere that they know I will love. I loved the vibe of Corsino which has the West Village casual, comfortable, and neighborhood atmosphere that makes for a perfect night out with friends. The restaurant is one of the handful owned by the Denton brothers who also own ‘inoteca which I’ve eaten at before on the Lower East Side. Corsino is an Italian wine bar with a great variety of options on the menu that include crostinis, cheeses, antipasti, meats, seafood, pastas, and paninis. We decided to eat everything family style so that we could graze off many different things rather than having to narrow down our cravings to just one dish per person.
We shared two crostinis to start- the brussel sprouts and pecorino and the ricotta with orange honey. Both were really good and had sharp flavors that went well with the Italian wine that we were drinking. Next came the winter vegetable salad which included chunks of butternut squash and brussel sprouts among others tossed in a light olive oil and served with crunchy hazelnuts. We then had two pastas and two entrees, all of which were great and hearty. The fusilli with lemon, scallion, chili, & pecorino romano was a bit decadent and creamy, but the citrus undertones were incredibly delicious and it seemed appropriate for such a cold night. We also loved the tagliatelle with pork ragu and mint which was a nice combination of flavors as the mint offset the otherwise heavy nature of the meat. The main courses included the chicken piccata with cauliflower which was perfectly crispy and the braised short rib over fontina polenta which was so tender and well done. Overall, the food and wine were great, the atmosphere was bustling and fun, and the restaurant was a great choice. We finished the evening with the tiramisu and the chocolate cake and we were all stuffed and satisfied after a great meal.
Corsino Cantina
637 Hudson Street at Horatio
New York, NY 10014
www.corsinocantina.com
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Le Bernardin: Like any good foodie, I have been wanting to try Le Bernardin for years. I am a huge fan of Eric Ripert’s, I love seafood, and I’ve always been intrigued by the amount of attention it gets on Top Chef. I had the pleasure of dining at Eric Ripert’s Blue in the Ritz Carlton in Grand Cayman a few years back and to this day I still remember the tuna appetizer over foie gras which was one of the better things I have eaten in my time. So, I decided on this trip to New York that it was time to finally make it to Le Bernardin and my sister and brother-in-law are always game for nice restaurants which made it easy to plan. I must say that Le Bernardin is clearly not the type of place anyone goes to on a regular basis (or at least not the people that I associate with). It is a beautiful space, but very upscale and fit for a special occasion. The menu is organized into a four course prix fixe meal of “almost raw”, “barely touched”, “lightly cooked” and then dessert for a total of $112 per person. The evening started with an amuse bouche from the chef which was a lobster bisque with a tarragon foam. The bisque was rich and creamy with a caramel-like flavor and got us all excited for what was in store for us across our next few courses.
I was delighted to see that for the “almost raw” course Le Bernardin offers the same tuna dish over a toasted baguette with foie gras that I had been dreaming about for the past few years since my trip to the Cayman Islands. Naturally, I ordered this for my first course and it was exactly what I had remembered. It was the best thing I ate the entire evening as the fresh raw tuna went so well with the rich foie gras.
For my second course I had the sauteed calamari. It was uniquely prepared as the calamari was rolled into a ravioli-like shape and stuffed with shitake mushroom and served in a mushroom froth-pistou sauce. I loved this dish because it was clever and well-balanced, but I had slight envy of my brother-in-law Adam’s lobster carpaccio which was served warm with hearts of palm and an orange vinaigrette. The lobster was fantastic and the citrus flavors presented a great combination. Also, my sister’s warm peekytoe crabcake with persimmon ribbons and a chili crab broth was very flavorful, and full of thick chunks of crab meat which is our favorite preparation given that we are Maryland girls and picky about our crab.
For my “main” course I had the black bass with beansprout risotto, mini steamed buns, and hoisin-plum jus. The bass was crispy with great Asian flavors and the fluffy hot buns to accompany the fish were wonderful. For dessert I had the Hazelnut which came with gianduja cream, oregon hazelnuts, honey, banana, and brown butter ice cream. Sara and Adam both had the Chocolate Peanut which was dark chocolate in a peanut and caramel tart with meyer lemon puree, peanut power, and praline citrus sorbet. Both desserts were great, although I liked the creaminess of the Hazelnut while the Chocolate Peanut provided the richness many seek in their desserts.
Everything at Le Bernardin is close to perfect. The service is impeccable, the dishes are beautifully crafted and plated, the food is fresh and of the highest quality, and the experience is one to remember. It is probably not a place I will visit often given its high price, but I am so glad I finally had the chance to dine at Eric Ripert’s masterpiece of a restaurant that I have been hearing about for years. Le Bernardin stands up to its three Michelin stars, James Beard Awards, and countless other accolades from The New York Times, Zagat, and other top guides throughout the world.
Le Bernardin
155 West 51st Street
New York, NY 10020
www.le-bernardin.com
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Babbo: I’m an Italian food fanatic and have been wanting to indulge in Mario Batali’s Babbo for some time now. The reservation line alone is a bit intimidating. You can call exactly one month to the date in advance of when you’d like to dine at Babbo, and you’re lucky if you are able to get through and snag a table. I was hung up on a few times (I assume a mistake), but I was determined to get this reservation so I pushed forward until I got what I wanted.
The restaurant’s atmosphere is totally up my alley– loud and busy, but simple and refined at the same time. Located in Greenwich Village, Babbo has a a good portion of their tables on the main level in addition to a small bar, however the restaurant is anchored by a large staircase in the center that leads to a dining area upstairs where we sat. The five of us had a nice table in the corner and we quickly started plotting our eating strategy as soon as we sat down.
I started with the spaghettini with spicy budding chives and a one pound lobster. There are few things I enjoy more than a basic spaghetti in a well made tomato sauce, but add on a lobster and I am one happy camper. It was beyond good– and I also loved my friend Lauren’s chianti stained pappardalle with wild boar ragu which was incredible, and the only thing that stopped me from ordering it was that I had my eye on the beef for my main course so decided to lay off the red meat for my starter. All of the pastas were really fantastic and way too big for each of us to have all ordered our own as our appetizer… but that’s just sort of how we roll.
I was pretty much full already, but was excited to try my main course which was the Brasato al Barolo or braised beef with porcini mushrooms. The beef was so tender and did not require a knife as the fork alone could pull apart the meat. The sauce had hints of wine and mushrooms which made the dish even more enjoyable, however I wasn’t able to finish the plate given the amount I had already inhaled. As a group we ordered the assortment of gelati and sorbetti which came with about six different flavors to taste. I think we each took a bite or two, and then threw in the towel for the night after an amazing meal. I cannot wait to go back to Babbo and if I lived in New York, I know I’d eat there on a regular basis. There’s essentially nothing on the menu I wouldn’t eat, and I think Mario Batali is a god. Would love for him to start scouting out some locations in DC… wishful thinking, I know.
Babbo
110 Waverly Place #A
New York, NY 10011
www.babbonyc.com
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I regularly find myself day dreaming about that tuna tartar from Le Bernardin and I love finding out I’m not the only one! I swear if I concentrate hard enough I can still taste it!
That is so funny, so glad we share the same love of that dish. It really is amazing!