Bianca

5 Bleecker St. #1  New York, NY
www.biancanyc.com

Price: $$ --everything is extremely well priced… but cash only!
Favorite dish: Artichoke Salad

Sara and Frankie went to dinner at Bianca one night and couldn't stop raving about how good it was afterwards. So, for a nice, fun, middle of the week dinner, I decided to drag the two of them back to Bianca so I could get a taste of what was so good.
After arriving, I noticed the vibe at Bianca was loud and trendy. The restaurant is set up to look almost like a kitchen, so we would feel right at home. Because they don't take reservations, we did have a little wait for a table, being that the restaurant is not all that big and super crowded.
After looking at the menu, I found so many things that I wanted. But what I really noticed was how reasonably priced everything was. That must have been the first time I had thought that since I got to New York. Main dishes for no more than $15? Yes please!

Here's what we got:

My favorite!! Fresh bread and olive oil. 

For a starter, Sara and I shared the Carciofini, or in other words, an artichoke salad. It was thin slices of artichokes  with fresh parmesan and a lemon dressing. I absolutely adored this dish. It was so light and refreshing. The artichokes were super delicious and I loved how it was something I'd never really seen before. I have been craving this sole dish ever since I ate there, and I am yearning to go back for it.

An unobstructed view of the salad. yuuuummmyyyy

The Tagliatelle alla Bolognese. This was probably my favorite of the pasta dishes. The meat sauce was really flavorful and was enriched with lots of tomatoes and mushrooms. You could taste how the pasta was homemade and so perfectly cooked. Deliciousness!

The Ravioli di Ricotta con Burro e Salvia. Translation:  a fresh ricotta ravioli with butter and sage. Again, this ravioli was so light and deliciously handmade. It was a bit bland, however, and could've used some salt. But from subtle flavors I tasted I really liked them.

The Gnocchi con Formaggio, or gorgonzola cheese sauce. This gnocchi was so awesome. I am not a huge fan of gorgonzola but the creaminess of the sauce overtook the gorgonzola. It was, however, very heavy, so after eating some of it I felt like I could be done. The pasta's texture was really good and it was really super tasty.

This restaurant was totally adorbs and a good time. The only small detail that you should be aware of before heading over is that it is cash only. Not the biggest deal in the world, being that you really are getting great quality food, delicious flavors, and a fun atmosphere without breaking the bank. This is definitely going to be one of my go-to spots for any future visits [or perhaps for when I live here ;)]

XOXO,
Danielle

Otto

1 5th Ave.  New York, NY
www.ottopizzeria.com

Price: $$
Favorite dish: Cacio E Pepe

Reunited (again) and it feels sOoOoOo good. This past weekend, my parents flew into New York to visit and spend some time with me while I am still in here. How sweet!!!!! On Friday night, Nicole and her parents came to meet my parents and me in the city for dinner for some family bonding time of course! We decided to take Arleigh along for the ride because why not? The Jablon's decided on celebrity chef Mario Batalli's restaurant Otto Pizzeria. The restaurant had a vivacious atmosphere, and it was completely packed, and therefore was very noisy. Despite making a reservation, we still had to wait almost 25 minutes for a table. The restaurant was modeled to resemble an Italian train station, so when your assigned "train" goes up on the board, you know your table is ready. We were actually seated at a corner table completely smushed together. Good thing we like each other, right?


Here is what we ordered:

Nicole and her parents got the chopped salad with salami and chickpeas. 

My dad and Arleigh both got the baby spinach salad with ricotta salata and truffle honey.  This salad was really good…basically anything with truffle is good to me!

My mom got the watermelon salad, served with cucumbers and feta cheese. I am not the biggest fan of watermelon or cucumber, but I actually loved this salad. It was sweet and delicious…I almost couldn't tell there was watermelon in there. Loved it.

For the main course, we ordered some different pizzas and pastas so we could all try each others' meals.

The first pizza we got was the fennel & bottarga, with tomato, pecorino, and mozzarella.

My dad got the Cacio E Pepe pizza, which had mozzarella, cacio (an Italian cheese), pecorino, parmigiano, and black pepper. This was my favorite of the pizzas, and probably my favorite dish of the whole meal. There was so much flavor packed into this one pizza. All of the cheeses combined together were just too good on a great thin crust. YUUUM.

Nicole got the classic margherita pizza, with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil. 

Ong more pizza for the table: the vongole, with garlic, mozzarella, and clams.

We got the Pasta Alla Norma, which was penne pasta with tomato, roasted eggplant, basil, and ricotta. I thought the pasta was good and I really liked the roasted eggplant. The pasta was a little bit undercooked but the tomato sauce was really fresh and yummy.

Do you think we ordered enough food?!?!?

I really enjoyed my time at Otto with my friends and family. The food was pretty good and everything was extremely reasonably priced in contrast to the prices I typically see throughout the city. There were a few issues, being that the wait staff was a bit slow, and we were served bread, but with no butter or olive oil or anything. But….. overall the food was good, the mood was fun, and we had a great time together.

To finish off the evening, we walked toward Greenwich Village and got cupcakes at Molly's Cupcakes. How perfect! (to view my recent post on Molly's cupcakes, click here).

An awful and blurry pic of Nicole, Arleigh, and me at Otto. But still….FRIENDS! <3 <3

 XOXO,
Danielle

Emilio's Ballato

55 E. Houston St. (between Mulberry St. & Greene St.) 
New York, NY


Price: $$$$
Favorite dish: Pasta E Fagioli

For an extremely delayed post, this one certainly will not disappoint. For my dad's last night in town with me, he took me to a little Italian place that he claimed was quite amazing. After we walked in and were walking back to our table, I couldn't help but notice the array of photographs of famous people on the walls. Ummm celebrities….my favorite! This place couldn't be too bad, then. Emilio's Ballato serves solid old school Italian food. I am sucker for good Italian, and this restaurant hit the spot.

Here's what we got:

At the beginning of the meal, we were served two types of fresh bread. There was a basic, probably homemade, bread and then Pancetta bread. 

My dad couldn't stop saying to me how much he LOVED the Pasta E Fagioli soup the first time he came here, and this being one of my favorite Italian soups, I definitely wanted to try it. He was building it up so much that it had to knock my socks off, and it absolutely did. This was hands down the best Pasta E Fagioli soup that I have ever tasted. It was so thick and full of delicious beans, pasta, and vegetables. OMG my mouth is watering.

As an appetizer to share, we ordered the grilled octopus, served with a small green salad. This calamari was unlike any that I had ever had before in the way that it was served, but once it was cut up to look less scary it was really good. 

I ordered the Gamberi Oreganate, which is baked shrimp, with garlic, bread crumbs, and linguine. These shrimp were packed with flavor. They were topped with such a flavorful mixture of the bread crumbs, a ton of garlic, and other seasonings. The sauce was great mixed with the linguine, which was cooked to perfection.

For my dad's entree, he ordered the Vitello Alla Milanese, which is breaded veal, with arugula, tomatoes, and extra virgin olive oil. It was also served alongside a small portion of potatoes. 

My dad ordered a side of fresh linguine with tomato sauce. At a restaurant with amazing homemade pasta there was no way we could skimp on that…

So basically, everything my dad and I ate here was excellent. I was so full walking out, but left 100% satisfied. The space is small and cozy, and the food made me feel as though I may have been eating in Italy. Although I've never been, I imagine this might be as close as it gets in NYC. Come here for a wonderful and traditional Italian meal you are sure to love.

XOXO,
Danielle

Bar Pitti

268 6th Ave. (between Bleecker & Houston)  New York, NY
**Bar Pitti does not have a website, but you can check out their menu here.**

Price: $$--The food really was not all too expensive considering the options that are available and the amount of food that is served.
Favorite dish (so far)-- Caprese Salad

For my first reunion since school with my good friend Jenna, she, Sara, and I met up for dinner right after work this evening. We decided to walk around, and as soon as we saw somewhere that looked good (and received good reviews, of course), we'd eat there. As we were walking toward the SoHo neighborhood, we passed Bar Pitti, which did not look to be very crowded since all of the outdoor seating was completely vacant. However, when we went in, the restaurant was pretty full. We realized that the lack of people eating outside was most likely due to the horrendous weather New York experienced today, but regardless, we decided to be the one and only party to eat outside.
Bar Pitti is a casual little Italian restaurant, and you can tell that the food is fresh and authentic. Although several online reviews claim that Bar Pitti has terrible service, I would certainly disagree based on our experience tonight. We received our bread, appetizer, and entrees all in the course of probably 20 minutes.  The waiter was also pretty attentive, considering we were the only customers eating outside.

Here's what we ordered:

At this point in the meal I was absolutely starving, so a piece of bread dipped in olive oil sounded perfect. This olive oil was really good. It was quite tasty and definitely was high quality. A great start to our meal.

Jenna and Sara ordered the Caprese salad as a starter, and I couldn't resist trying it. I am a huge fan of mozzarella and tomato, and covered with olive oil and basil…count me in. The mozzarella was so fresh and yummy, and the tomatoes were a great compliment to the cheese. With some added salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil, this represented the epitome of an excellent Caprese salad.

HUNGRY JENNA!! In Jenna's words: "I give you permission to put a picture of me stuffing my face on your blog"….well ok then.

Sara ordered the Precamondo Panini (no, I do not know what that means in Italian). It was stuffed with brie cheese, eggplant, mushrooms, turkey breast, and sun dried tomatoes. Now THAT sounds like an amazing combination of flavors. Sara seemed to thoroughly enjoy her panini. Her one complaint was that she wished the bread had been pressed a little more to make the sandwich warmer, and more like a panini vs. a regular sandwich.

Jenna went with the Vegetale Panini, which contains artichokes, mushrooms,  eggplant, tomatoes, and lettuce. Another great vegetable flavor combination. Jenna loved her sandwich. 

Unfortunately, I can't resist homemade pasta, no matter how hard I try. I ordered the Spaghetti Strascicate,  which is homemade noodles with meat sauce. I can easily tell a homemade pasta vs. pasta out of a box, and this was certainly no boxed pasta. It was cooked to a perfect al dente, and the sauce nice and meaty. It was DEE-lish.

Finally happy to be together in the city!! (*Mentally insert picture of me in the middle).

If you want tasty and simple Italian food, Bar Pitti is your place. We have also decided that our outdoor seating location made for excellent people-watching. But seriously, we truly enjoyed our time at Bar Pitti tonight and we all definitely enjoyed our meals.

Our quote of the evening: "You will not pity your visit to Bar Pitti!!!"

XOXO,
Danielle

Taralluci E Vino

15 E. 18th St.  New York, NY
www.taralluccievino.net

Price: $$ --Everything was pretty reasonably priced. Each panini was only $10, and the salads ranged from $10 to $14.
Favorite sandwich: Grilled eggplant panini

For Memorial Day, some of my besties from school came into the city. After over a WHOLE month of being apart (yes, that is a long time), I finally was reunited with my Chi O sistas (shoutout Nicole, Jess, and Whitney) and it feels sooooo good. The weather in the city was absolutely beautiful, apart from the searing hot sun that made us sticky and disgusting. Nevertheless, I would say that we definitely still had a successful Memorial Day. After walking and searching for a cute "trendy" restaurant to have lunch, we stumbled upon Taralluci E Vino, which had a really cute and, for lack of a better word, trendy feel to it. It was the perfect way to officially start off my summer in the city.

Here's what we got:

Jess ordered the Carpaccio salad, accompanied by thinly sliced pieces of beef, shaved mushrooms, arugula, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Couldn't have been too bad, as Jess ate her plate clean. WAY TO GO JESS!

Whitney went with the mozzarella and tomato panini,  coated with olive spread and basil on crispy ciabatta bread. Mmmm.

Nicole and I both ordered the grilled eggplant panini (we're twins, duh), with ricotta cheese and tomato slices on multigrain bread. Super delicious.

It finallllly feels like summertime. Great food with great friends! 

XOXO,

Danielle