Anyone been to Lupa recently?

[kim77]

Hi, I am a fan of Babbo and Lupa, (more Babbo always...) for many years. I stopped going to Lupa for a couple of years, however. The last two visits, a couple of years ago, pasta was incredibly salty and the portion was crazy small. It was very disappointing since previous to those two times, I have always loved Lupa, my alternative to Babbo. Since then, I have stuck to Babbo, but since Babbo reservations are so hard to come by and I do actually prefer Lupa's casual ambiance, I am thinking of giving Lupa another shot for dinner and got a reservation. The reservation was surprisingly easy to get, and I am wondering if their quality has really gone down since the last time I visited. Has anyone been there recently? For those of you who have gone there consistently, do you see their quality slipping? I would appreciate your thoughts!

[ttoommyy]

Lupa has always been good whe we've been there. Never a bad meal. I really cannot stand Chef Battali when I see him on TV and such, bit I must say I really like all of his restaurants.
As for the salt issue...I'm wondering if this is a case of the pendulum swinging back the other way. For so long we have been told to avoide salt and I'm sure a lot of places cut back on it. But salt is an important part of cooking and I feel more and more chefs are adding it back the way it's meant to be used. Maybe this is why you thought the food at Lupa oversalted. Just a shot in the dark.

[jycnyc]

I ate at Lupa yesterday. The only thing overly salty was the olives. The pasta was perfectly al dente and perfectly seasoned. I would say the portions were on the smaller size i.e. you would need an appetizer.

[bob96]

Had a very nice lunch recently: bucatini all'amatriciana was perfectly sauced, and this in a dish that can be salty. Portion size perfect. Another main of arctic char was tasty, but the portion just this side of small. Service during a full house was proficient, though an upsell push for a starter glass of prosecco before any order was taken grated a bit.

[Pan]

I have never found their pasta portions small, but I never expect to have only one course at Lupa. I always get at least two appetizers to share with my dining partner, and I very seldom dispense with a secondo after my pasta. Then, we share the tartufo for dessert. It's a big meal, usually with some wine, and not cheap, but a pleasant experience and a good value.

I think it's a fallacy to expect to get full on just a primo piatto at an Italian (as opposed to Italian-American) restaurant.

[rrems]

I have been going regularly for several years, and have never had a bad meal. Once or twice I did get something that was slightly oversalted, but I have not noticed any change recently. It has been a bit easier to get a res in the last year or so, but I think that is due to the economy, not to any change in quality. I've also been happy with portion sizes.

[prdct]

the salt complaint is a common one for both Lupa and Babbo. I've never felt like I've had anything oversalted at Lupa (including one recent lunch and one recent dinner), but I do like aggressivly seasoned food. As for portion sizes I've also not noticed any real change. I tend to order pasta as a main dish there (after spliiting vegetable and meat sides) and have never left anything but stuffed.

[kim77]

Thanks! I have never had a problem at Babbo, saltiness or what not. Nor did I at Lupa before those two times when the food was almost unrecognizable. I hate it when a favorite restaurant loses its steam, and your recent experiences are reassuring. So I think maybe I will give it a shot again. I would love to hear more if anyone has been to Lupa recently! Thanks.

[Pan]

I went there for dinner with my girlfriend within the past 3 months or so. I don't remember finding anything oversalted, and actually, everything we had was great.

I'm curious what time you got a reservation for. When I've gotten reservations, they've always been annoyingly early or very late, so I usually don't bother and just show up with a Plan B and Plan C in case the wait is unreasonable.

[jh158]

I ate there in January and had a great experience, but I have always loved Lupa every time I've been. I don't find the portions to be too small or oversalted (although I like salty food!). My experience there has been consistently great over 3 or 4 years.