I heart New York…

Charlene from Scottsdale’s Rancho Pinot offered some wonderful suggestions. She had a great list that offered a mix fine dining and fun food. We weren’t able to try everything, but we are keeping her list for future trips.

Lupa

170 Thompson Street

One of her top picks was Lupa, a Mario Batali creation in the spirit of Roman trattoria food. When Chris Bianco seconded this suggestion we knew we had to go. You don’t get a better endorsement than that!

Lupa surpassed our hopes. Warm and intimate from the moment we walked through the door, we were taken immediately from Greenwich Village to Italy. I ordered the Lamb Shortribs after spying them on the table next to ours. Sean went with the Linguine Clams with Fennel and Sopressatta. Both of us were in heaven, although it was Aidan’s Spaghetti con Pomodoro that stole the night. It was a simple and yet incredible. Fortunately Aidan couldn’t finish it, so Sean and I were more than happy to help.

Balthazar

80 Spring Street

From the Roman trattoria to the French bistro, our next dinner was at Balthazar. Again we left the city behind, this time for a 1930’s Parisian world complete with distressed mirrors, tiled floors, a pressed tin ceiling with tufted booths. We worried about how receptive they would be to our bringing Aidan, but they could not have been more welcoming. He even charmed the waitress into sitting with him and helping color the butcher-block paper on the table.

Without so much as scanning the menu, Sean immediately ordered the Le Grand Plateaux de Fruits de Mer which is a tower of seafood that took up most of our table. Aidan’s only request was that it came heavy with crab legs. We took this picture to make Bob jealous back in Arizona.

Reservations are a must, and we were grateful we had called ahead. Although I wouldn’t have complained about the wait once I saw (and smelled) the Balthazar Bakery next door.

Charlene’s New York Dining Suggestions:

Here are some of the other places we are hoping to hit next time. If you are planning a trip to New York soon, take this list along and bring your appetite.

Pearl Oyster Bar – 18 Cornelia (Between Bleecker & West 4^th Street)

August – 359 Bleeker Street (Between Charles and West 10^th)

2^nd Avenue Deli – 162 East 33^rd Street

Veloce Pizzeria – 103 First Avenue/Seventh Street

Rice to Riches – 37 Spring Street

Inoteca – 98 Rivington Street

Porchetta – 110 East 7^th Street

Doughnut Planet – 379 Grand Street