Babbo is owned by Iron Chef Mario Batali and is located on Waverly Place, a half-block from Washington Square. It has a modest sign on the outside, and you can’t see in through the mullioned windows. A casual passerby would never suspect that this is one of New York City’s finest restaurants.
But step inside and you immediately see a crowd of diners and the maitre d”s voice: “No room. Reservations should be made a month in advance. Although, the occasional visitor can take a seat at the bar counter (if there is one) and, if you have an extra hour or two, try to wait for good luck – to cancel someone else’s reservation.
The restaurant can be divided into three sections. At the entrance is the bar, further on are the dining tables, and in the center is a vase with a giant bouquet of wondrous lilac color. Straight from the table is a staircase to the second floor, where another room is located – my favorite. There is a lantern in the ceiling and the white room shines with light during the day. On the table in the center is again a tall bouquet, something like our willow tree with thick, fluffy pompoms of buds. By the back wall are shelves of wine.
The menu, the wine list, and then the bill are served in such luxurious leather folders, as if made to order by Coach. There is an opinion that the better the restaurant, the fewer dishes on the menu. In Babo, the menu is quite representative, so it takes a lot of time to study it, especially if you are here for the first time. The second time goes much faster – according to numerous observations, having tasted any of the dishes, the client will order it as long as he will come here. He will do it out of fear of making a mistake. Every dish here is a work of culinary art.
The wine list is geographically arranged. It starts with the southern wine regions of Italy and goes north. So if you know where barola is produced and where amarone is produced, you won’t get lost.
On my last visit to Babbo, I sampled Goat Cheese Tortelloni with Dried Orange and Wild Fennel Pollen ($19), the second was Gnocchi with Braised Oxtail ($19) What is the difference between tortelloni and tortellini? I can only guess. The tortellini are rolled up pretty tightly, like our dumplings, while the tortelloni are like slices of dough with the edges barely covering all the stuffing. On mine was goat cheese, which had melted and mixed with the very same fennel pollen. The whole thing was sprinkled on top with dried tangerine shavings.
Gnocchi is one of my favorite Italian dishes. At Babbo, gnocchi is served in an oxtail sauce. This unpretentious place becomes the ultimate delicacy when handled properly. The meat crumbles into fibers, and the fat and tomato sauce is a great grease to the gnocchi.
The steak (Rib eye stake $69 – for two) arrived for appetizers. The waiter deftly sliced it diagonally, the way a steak is supposed to be sliced, revealing the juicy core to the customer. Sorry for the stamp, but the meat melted on your tongue like butter.