Scarpetta review

[Olive123]

We dined at Scarpetta last night for the first time (I am vegetarian, husband is not; Scarpetta has a dedicated vegetarian menu which was a draw). The meal was very good. We had an early reservation - 5:30 - and several tables were already filled when we were seated. Initially we were seated up against the wooden wall at the edge of the serving station. We asked to be moved and were moved right away. Our waiter was friendly and professional. He made recommendations upon request. We didn't order wine with our meal, so I can't really comment on selection. We just each ordered a cocktail.

I thought there was a tasting menu, but didn't see anything on the menu indicating as much (perhaps I just missed something?) and the waiter didn't mention it. We ordered the burrata (me) and mushrooms/polenta (husband) appetizers, split the famous spaghetti, I had the beet and ricotta pasta and husband had the black cod. We were too full for dessert. I blame the fantastic bread basket.

Much has been written about the bread basket. I concur with the accolades. That eggplant tomato spread was absolutely delicious. The flavors were so concentrated. Really amazing. I also enjoyed the mascarpone butter. Didn't try the olive oil because I was so smitten with the eggplant, but my husband enjoyed it. He said it tasted almost citrusy.

I thought the spaghetti was perfectly cooked. The sauce was rich and almost creamy tasting. My husband said he prefers my sauce, which was adorable. Really, though, I would order this again. Of course most people won't care about this, but I despise tomato seeds in my sauce. This sauce was mostly seedless, but there were a few here and there. It was good enough that I would hazard the seeds on a future visit.

The burrata, somewhat oddly, was a different dish than described on the menu. The burrata appetizer on the menu listed charred figs and balsamic. The dish received included neither, and instead had a beet puree and dressed greens along with the cheese. I actually thought maybe the figs were within the greens and that perhaps the beet was balsamic, but no. This was kind of unexpected, especially since I ordered the dish because I thought the charred figs and balsamic would be great complements for the burrata. I would probably have ordered the veggie version of the polenta if I realized it would be a different dish. In any event, the beets puree was sweet and tasty, and the greens were well dressed with a nice (non balsamic) vinegar-y balance. Husband loved the polenta with mushrooms. Smelled heavenly.

I was actually pretty full by the time my main pasta arrived. The poppy seeds were a perfect touch. Very buttery and tasty. The beet flavor was strong (I love beets), although I was only able to specifically taste the smoked ricotta here and there. A few bites included slightly undercooked pasta (definitely not al dente), but this was really good nonetheless and I would order it again. Husband really enjoyed the black cod and said it was his favorite item of the meal.

The manager made constant rounds around the dining room. It was kind of distracting - so much so that the table next to us stopped her to ask about her rounds. In any event, she and the waiters did seem interested that diners were enjoying themselves. By the time we left it was hopping. Definitely a nice dinner. We made it out for less than $200, too, which seemed like a bargain. I would highly recommend for anyone, but especially for the vegetarians out there. I always think a veggie menu is a nice touch.

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Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

[TheDegustationAsian]

Thanks for the report. Went about three weeks ago for dinner on Sat. night. Our reservation was for 9 pm but we weren't seated until 9:30, a common complaint among other hounds. Inquired about the tasting menu and was told by our server that the restaurant doesn't offer the tasting menu on weekends (any truth to this?).

Nonetheless, we proceeded to create our own version of the tasting menu of sorts. The bread basket was good. The stromboli was tasty, but greasy, and I loved the caponata.

SO started with the Cauliflower Panna Cotta which sounded great but fell flat. The panna cotta was more liquid than I would have imagined and the caviar, truffle and sea urchin seemed lost when eaten together.

On the other hand, the Polenta, was fantastic. Smooth, rich and well seasoned there was little doubt as to why this is one of Conant's signature dishes. Probably the best version of this dish I've ever had, far eclipsing the one I had at Bottega in Napa earlier this year.

We ordered two pastas, asking for split portions for both of them. First was the Foie Gras and Duck Ravioli. Rich with just the hint of foie and the essence of duck, I really enjoyed these, even if the (split) portion was huge!

We couldn't resist ordering the famous Spaghetti with Tomato and Basil and while the pasta for both dishes were a tad overcooked, it was still easy to understand why the all of the rave reviews. The sauce was surprisingly rich and less acidic than I imagined it to be but was still very good.

The Black Cod was cooked perfectly and unlike other reviews, wasn't the least bit "fishy." The acid from the concentrated tomato paired well with the mild fish. Best of all was the skin, which was beautifully crisp while the meat was still moist.

I ordered the Carpretto and wasn't blown away. The dish wasn't bad...but it wasn't exceptional. That said, the meat was well cooked and remained moist and like many others, I enjoyed the cubed potatoes on the plate.

For dessert we split the Banana Budino which was a great way to end the meal. While I thought the food was very good, I'm still not sold it was my favorite Italian restaurant in NYC. Seemed like a better place to grab a bite at the bar instead of making a night out of it.

[Pan]

Which Italian restaurants in New York do you prefer, at the moment?

I'm leaning toward a preliminary conclusion that the black cod, or at least those pieces my friend was served when we ate at Scarpetta, were just off on that particular day. It shouldn't happen, but I think that's what happened, and that the dish is usually a lot better than what we tried. However, I thought everything else we were served was very good to great. This was my report:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6514...

[scotty27]

Esca, Locanda Verde, Maialino, Lupa: Preferable.
Meaning to get back to Del Posto and try Osteria Morini: Cancelled a rez at the later after reading the Siftion review, which made the food sound unctious.
www.shrinkinthekitchen

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Lupa
170 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012

Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Esca
402 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036

Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

Osteria Morini
218 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012

[TheDegustationAsian]

Scotty27, although some of the menu items at Morini are unctious, I'd suggest you still go. I thought the pastas were great and especially loved the seafood salad. Granted, when I went it was the restaurant's second week and Chef White was in the house making sure everything was running smoothly, but I still enjoyed the food, maybe choosing to pass on the secondi if you want a lighter meal.

Also, be sure to ask for Carolyn, she's really great and helped us pick a nice bottle of wine.

[Pan]

I like Lupa but by no means consider it better than the meal I had at Scarpetta. Lupa is dependable and satisfying but in several trips, I've had nothing there that bursts with flavor the way the best items from my meal at Scarpetta did.

I liked a late, somewhat light dinner my brother and I had at Locanda Verde and plan on going back for a larger meal in the new year.

I know you love Esca, but I haven't been there, largely on account of its expense. Even if it's no more expensive than Scarpetta (and I have the general sense that it is), Scarpetta was really a one-off special occasion place for me, and I'm quite unlikely to go back there on my own dime within the next year and a half or so.

[TheDegustationAsian]

Pan, nice report. I should say that I liked Scarpetta and from a food only perspective, thought that it was very good. That said, I thought there were some minor front of the house issues. The 30 minute wait wasn't unbearable and it was a Saturday evening, but a simple apology would have been nice. Also, while we waited at the bar, no one offered to take our coats until our table was ready, strange, considering they took everyone elses who were waiting for a table.

As far as other Italian restaurants I prefer: Marea, Del Posto, Maialino, and Babbo immediately come to mind. I know it may be unfair to compare a Michelin two star and a NYT four star restaurant with Scarpetta since they are different in terms of regional food (Marea) and goals (Del Posto), but my experiences at both have been excellent. Maialino, though Roman cuisine, was very good with exceptional service as one would expect from a Meyer restaurant and despite the loud music and near impossible reservations, the food at Babbo remains some of my favorite.

I hope that the cod issue was just catching the restaurant on an off day, although, I swore I've read other hounds echoing that comment. Regardless, I will be returning, if only for full portions of the pastas!

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Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011

Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

Marea
240 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019

Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[Pan]

Thanks for your reply. I've had one meal at Babbo and I thought it was maybe just a smidge better, overall, than the meal I had at Scarpetta. I go to Del Posto for lunch tomorrow and haven't been to the other restaurants you're recommending. Maialino gets a lot of love on these pages.

[TheDegustationAsian]

I've noticed that Maialino, like all the Meyer restaurants (especially EMP) get lots of love on these pages...perhaps too much imo, but I've always found the service at his establishments to be great. Particular standouts have included: a really great seafood salad, egg ravioli and the signature maialino.

Haven't been back to Del Posto since they lost their second Michelin star. But from many accounts, it seems they've really stepped up their game. Since JG and EMP raised their lunch prices, some consider Del Posto's lunch the best "bargain" in NYC. Enjoy your lunch tomorrow, will look forward to hearing your thoughts.

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Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[TravellingFoodie]

You did not seem to have a problem with undercooked pasta. That seems like a major flaw to me.

[Olive123]

I was disappointed by the undercooked bites, but most of it was properly cooked. Not sure how that happened. It did detract from the dish overall but didn't ruin it. If more than those two bites were undercooked, it would have been more of a problem and I would have raised the issue with the waiter. On the whole we were very pleased with the meal.

[scotty27]

This is encouraging. I like Scott Conant's food, haven't been to Scarpetta yet. Tend to go to Locanda Verde, Lupa, & Esca. OK, heading over!
www.shrinkinthekitchen.com

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Lupa
170 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012

Esca
402 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036

Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York, NY 10014

Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

[goodhealthgourmet]

glad to hear you enjoyed it. fortunately we now have a location here in LA, and it's my favorite restaurant in town right now. i can't believe you didn't try the polenta! it's one of the best dishes i've eaten all year...next time tell your husband he has to share ;)

[Olive123]

I only didn't have the polenta because the vegetarian version is different than the beloved mushroom version on the regular menu, which is made with chicken stock. Husband absolutely would have shared, otherwise! The waiter insisted that the taste is very similar, though, so next time I am definitely going to try the veggie version. I love polenta!

[goodhealthgourmet]

after i posted that i realized it was probably a chicken stock issue - i was a vegetarian for over 20 years, and my friends & family always rolled their eyes when i interrogated servers about whether seemingly vegetarian dishes had been prepared with non-vegetarian stock :) totally understand!

[steve h.]

ahh, but that polenta is mighty good.

[XerxesAB]

Glad to hear you liked it. All things considered, (food, wine, ambiance, service) it is my favorite restaurant I've been to in the city as of yet.