dinners in new york

This weekend was a food lover’s paradise. We had dinner at Babbo and AOC on Bedford Street.

Babbo is one of the best restaurants in New York City. The food is incredible. The atmosphere is great. The place hums. Mario Batali, who is quite the individual, has slowly made New York his oyster. Everyone of his restaurants have a different vibe but there is a thread running through them. Great music is played, the service is solid, the food is interesting and delicious. You really can’t beat it. Also, for an added bonus, the sommelier, David Lynch, is a wealth of information. Everytime we have eaten at Babbo, the wine has paired perfectly with the food we ordered. We picked up his new book last night. Vino Italiano, The Regional Wines of Italy. I can hardly wait to delve in.

AOC was a true find. We went with one of our foodie friends. I can hardly wait to go back. The octopus appetizer was a vision of beauty. Sliced thinly over the entire plate as a carpaccio. The two main courses we had were made for 2. We had Paella for 2 and Suckling Pig for 2. The Paella is one of the best I have ever had. The rice was spicy with large pieces of seafood cooked to perfection. The Pig was served with sweet roasted dates and braised endive. The Rioja we drank was delicious. Check out the Rosengarten report this month on Spanish wines.

The other fave of the month that I must mention is Prune. I actually told the host when we left that I might have to come here and work for free. Truly a foodies paradise. We were sorry that only the 2 of us had dinner there because you wanted to go around and taste all the plates. Menu is always changing based on what is seasonal. Gotta love that.

Now, I’m off to spin those calories away…