Babbo

I've been to Babbo three times, but, while the food is fantastic, I found the service rude (e.g. Me: "Do you serve your meals Italian style or American style? Should I order 3 courses?" Waiter: "You can do what you want") and the music ridiculous. Plus, 2 of the 3 times we ate there, we had lousy seats (once we were near the restroom and got a whiff whenever anyone used it; the other time we were...+READ I've been to Babbo three times, but, while the food is fantastic, I found the service rude (e.g. Me: "Do you serve your meals Italian style or American style? Should I order 3 courses?" Waiter: "You can do what you want") and the music ridiculous. Plus, 2 of the 3 times we ate there, we had lousy seats (once we were near the restroom and got a whiff whenever anyone used it; the other time we were next to the kitchen, and had the bang of the doors to accompany the too loud music

If I'm going to pay that much for a meal, I'd like everything to be fantastic.

Babbo seems to exist to make Mario happy. Fine. His restaurant, he can do what he wants. But I want a restaurant designed to make *me* (and all other customers) happy.

I won't be back-COLLAPSE / REPLY (32 Replies) (by plf515, created November 3, 2011)

> have seen several posts describing the primi's and secondi's, but have not seen people's choices for antipasti's if you had to choose two.

For two people I've done 2 antipasti, 2 primi, and split 1 secondi between the two of us. That leaves some room for dessert. The secondi are typically huge. Don't eat the bread, it's kind of boring. Note that they don't offer olive oil or butter with bread...+READ > have seen several posts describing the primi's and secondi's, but have not seen people's choices for antipasti's if you had to choose two.

For two people I've done 2 antipasti, 2 primi, and split 1 secondi between the two of us. That leaves some room for dessert. The secondi are typically huge. Don't eat the bread, it's kind of boring. Note that they don't offer olive oil or butter with bread service.

For antipasti: the lamb's tongue vinaigrette with three minute egg, crispy pig's foot, grilled octopus, or tripe (comes with bread, very messy). In that order. If you are trying to save space, the salumi is also very good but a much smaller portion. The testa is good, too, but on the smaller side.

For primi: I love the goose liver ravioli the most. Others like the beef cheek ravioli, chianti stained parpadelle, gnocchi with oxtail, or mint love letters, but I think the goose liver wins with the beef cheek second but just barely. Lamb's brains are good too. As are the seafood linguine, bucatini all'amatriciana and pumpkin "lun,e" but you can find similar pastas at his other places. The goose liver ravioli is unique to Babbo IIRC. Not recommended if you don't like browned butter or balsamic reductions, which can be rather sweet/rich. Personally, I am not a huge red sauce at Babbo (Scarpetta is a different story). Hence IMO the gnocchi and mint love letters were good but not great. YMMV.

For the secondi: the fennel-dusted sweetbreads are fantastic. The skirt steak is only OK. I've also enjoyed the rabbit, lamb chop, and pork chop (possibly the best in the city). The mains are sometimes HUGE though, like caveman size (esp the pork chop). There are often nice specials too (had some braised pork cheeks once). I've heard good things about the ribeye but have never tried.

For dessert, the sorbeti/gelati assortment is fantastic, as is the seasonal fruit crostata (if you time your visit before the first frost of the fall, they may still have theTristar strawberry). The chocolate hazelnut cake is also nice. In the fall they sometimes have a great concord grape and brioche dessert. It's Gina's non-traditional take on Italian harvest bread with grapes: "Schiacciata d'Uva."-COLLAPSE / REPLY (6 Replies) (by kathryn, created September 29, 2011)

Couple years old but still helpful ... http://www.chow.com/digest/7080/babbo-for-beginners/ REPLY (18 Replies) (by squid kun, created September 1, 2011)

»Babbo- Batali is a gastronomical genius

www.ourcherishedlife.com

For our very first “official” blog post, we thought it would be fitting to start with our most favorite restaurant, Mario Batalli’s flagship restaurant, Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, in New York City. The building in Greenwich Village is unassuming and quaint which makes for a charming dining experience. But do not be fooled, the culinary expertise in this little venue...+READ www.ourcherishedlife.com

For our very first “official” blog post, we thought it would be fitting to start with our most favorite restaurant, Mario Batalli’s flagship restaurant, Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, in New York City. The building in Greenwich Village is unassuming and quaint which makes for a charming dining experience. But do not be fooled, the culinary expertise in this little venue is larger than life. We recommend making reservations early (1 month in advance) to avoid disappointment and request to have a table on the second floor for a more formal and intimate dining experience. We opted for the seasonal tasting menu and ingenious wine paring (the wine list is highly extensive, take advantage of the knowledgeable sommelier for recommendations if you choose not to have the pairing…which is ingenious, did we mention that?!); their usage of only the finest Italian ingredients can be detected in every bite but beware that everyday pasta will never taste the same once you have tried the fresh pasta at this establishment! We searched for an authentic equivalent of Babbo during our trip to Italy and while we did have some delicious encounters, we still rely on Babbo when we crave amazing Italian food (albeit with an American twist)! Our first experience at Babbo went beyond the palette; we were instantly awed by the story behind the olive oil which was from Batali’s childhood friend’s mom’s place ~ the details are fuzzy (8-course wine pairing, remember?!) but combine that with the selection of homemade breads and their practice of “spoon crumbing”~ we were hooked from the moment they took our drink orders! By the end of the night, we ended up purchasing the Babbo cookbook and a bottle of olive oil! This impulse purchase speaks volumes for those of you who know Jason(Mr. Amazon.com)! Babbo is truly a worthy dining experience all around. We feel confident in our glowing review more so because their high standard has been consistent every time. In addition, the value for the quality of food is second to none with the tasting menu priced at $75 and the wine pairing being an additional $50. Some of Batali’s signature dishes include Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage and Beef Cheek Ravioli. Here are some of our favourite dishes from the tasting menus we have tried:

Pappardelle with Chanterelles and Thyme paired with: Vallèe d’Aoste Donnas, Caves de Donnas 2005; Grilled Hanger Steak with Royal Trumpet Mushrooms and Cipolline Agrodolce paired with: Vespa Rosso, Bastianich 2006; Coach Farm’s Finest with Fennel Honey paired with Franciacorta Brut, Cavalleri NV (the cheese, fennel, honey and wine combo is like no other!); Pecan and Date Budino with Caramel Gelato pared with Passito di Pantelleria Ben Ryè, Donnafugata 2006
Mmmm…okay, time to book another trip to NYC!-COLLAPSE (by OurCherishedLife, created March 14, 2011)

»Worth The Wait!

Pasta tasting was a great way to sample as suggested by the wait staff. Deconstructed Osso Bucco was fresh and flavorful. Service was attentive. Surprisingly different ingredient spin. Very extensive wine list. (by ykw1031, created February 26, 2011)

»Babbo Tasting Menu Review + Photos

Full review and photos can be seen here: http://www.donuts4dinner.com/2010/12/20/babbo-italian-west-village/

It’s hard to get into Mario Batali’s Babbo. They don’t do online reservations, and week after week when I called, they would tell me they were full. At one point, my boyfriend and I said, “Screw Batali! We don’t want his relatively cheap ($75) tasting menu with also-cheap ($50) wine...+READ Full review and photos can be seen here: http://www.donuts4dinner.com/2010/12/20/babbo-italian-west-village/

It’s hard to get into Mario Batali’s Babbo. They don’t do online reservations, and week after week when I called, they would tell me they were full. At one point, my boyfriend and I said, “Screw Batali! We don’t want his relatively cheap ($75) tasting menu with also-cheap ($50) wine pairings if it means being jerked around like this!” But once we finally did get in, we realized why the place is always full and why our persistence was totally worth it.

The Traditional Tasting Menu with wine pairings:

• amuse: chickpea bruschetta, black olive paste

• duck bresaola, sweet pea sformato
“Vespa Bianco”, Bastianich 2007

This was my first sformato, a kind of molded creamy custard. It’s a texture I definitely associate with dessert, so the sweetness of the peas pleased me.

• pappardelle, morels, thyme
“Baceabianca”, Tenuta Grillo 2004

This is the dish I still dream about. It’s hard to even describe what makes homemade pasta so incredibly different and better than boxed pasta–maybe it’s the texture? Fresh pasta is much grittier and more tender. I’ve grown to love fresh pappardelle in particular because it has no rigid shape and can be cut however I please. For me, this is the pasta by which all other pastas are measured.

• duck tortelli with “sugo finto” (“fake sauce”, or meat sauce without the meat)
Ruché di Castagnole, Cascina ‘Tavijn 2007

• grilled hanger steak, royal trumpet mushrooms, cipolline agrodolce
Aglianico del Vulture, Basilisco 2002

• Coach Farms’ (NY) finest goat cheese, fennel honey
Franciacorta Brut, Cavalleri NV

This was the point in the meal where my boyfriend started feeling overwhelmed by the tasting menu. Between the many glasses of wine and the richness of the dishes, I thought he was going to wimp out on me. I don’t really understand the idea of finding food too intense, though; I just can’t be sympathetic. And I like anything-flavored honey.

• fico in mosto: carmelized fig, mascarpone, orange peel
“Sommo”, Colli di Serrapetrona Passito 2006

• chocolate “al diavolo”
Malvasia delle Lipari Passito, Hauner 2007

• peach and raspberry budino, honey butter, honey vanilla gelato
Brachetto d’Acqui “Le Donne dei Boschi” Ca’ dei Mandorli 2009

• fruit tart that strangely wasn’t on the menu

• almond biscotti, chocolate baci, almond meringue cookies

I understand that people love Italian food–and I theoretically do, too–but I’ve been disappointed time and time again by boring, bland Italian food in this city. And if you were to ask me my top five restaurants in the city overall, I’m not sure I’d actually put Babbo in that list, but for what it is and the kind of food they do, I think they’re doing it better than anyone in their category.-COLLAPSE / REPLY (3 Replies) (by plumpdumpling, created December 20, 2010)