Del Posto
We came, we ate, we loved it.
There is truly a feeling of elegance when you walk into Del Posto that has been achieved by the design. That in itself creates an atmosphere that can not be duplicated. It sets the tone for the entire night.
We went the whole nine yards. A different bottle of wine with every course, including the dessert. Why not, right? You only live once.
We went with 2 other couples. We’re all good friends so sharing was definitely happening. We decided to start with 6 different appetizers. Everyone would take a few bites and then we’d pass to the left. This worked well although it did make me crave just reordering a few just for myself. We had one plate of delicious prosciutto that is sliced thin and served with small puffed biscuits. Good sharing. Since Lupa and Babbo really have cornered the market on good salami, we went with one of those plates too. The salami plate had about 5 different choices to pick from but the most interesting was the concoction that was in the middle of the plate. Warm head of salami ( I think ) that was chopped and served over a special type of bread made for this particular meat. It was really divine. We also had the roasted fall vegetables. The color presentation was enough to get a wow but the taste stepping it up. They must have been roasted with honey because they were sweet and caramelized. The vegetable Misti even had an orange in it. Fried vegetables with a rich gooey anchovy dipping sauce. The all time fave was the octopus grilled and served over a warm caponate with chick peas. I could have had bowls of this. Delicious!
Why stop there? You can have 2 or 3 pastas shared by the table. We did 3. You get to choose your pastas. I have to say that when it comes to pasta, Mario rules. Each one was better than the next. The first pasta we tried was a ribolitta. Small pastas about the size of your pinky stuffed with braised meats. It is served with out butter, oil or sauce but plain wrapped up in a warm napkin. You take one and pass it on. Very communal. They were divine. I really wanted to just grab a handful. Ravioli stuffed with braised pork, lamb and beef was our second choice. The ravioli was served with a browned butter sage sauce. Not too heavy but just right. Who ever invented browned butter was a genius. The last was your basic bolognese over verdi tagliatelle. Could I bring home a jar of that sauce?
Main courses were next. We opted for a few of the ones that you can split between 2 and 3 people. 2 people had the veal chops that were served with chestnuts, shitake mushrooms and black truffles. Large chops, cooked medium rare, full of flavor that was heightened by the accompaniments. The other we got was the leg of lamb. They show you the leg and then slice it up and serve it over a bed of rutabagas roasted and other root vegetables. So good. This really tasted like good old fashion Italian home cooking. Someone else went with the pork but by this time, I think I forgot to try.
Then comes dessert. I had to say I was not as awed with desserts. We went with 2 servings of the zagabione and the warm fig pudding. I tasted everything. All good but a taste was enough. The chocolate bar comes by and we also decided to have a bit of the three chocolates they were tasting. Some were better than others. Then there are the wonderful cookies that they give as an added bonus. Maybe it was the dessert wine, but I would have opted for a big cheese platter if it wasn’t for everybody else. Sometimes, that just works.
The sommelier did a great job for us picking different wines for each course. All and all a really memorable night. Fun and tasty. Will they get the 5 stars? That is the big question. The ambiance and the food is really special. The food will get better as the months go on too. I will most definitely go back. Maybe sit at the bar and have a few noshes. The bar is lovely and long. But going to Del Posto is a really special treat. Make reservations!