DINNER AT LUPA

After an afternoon of shopping (warning: never go to Saks when they're having massive after Xmas sales), we headed down to the West Village for dinner at Lupa. Ok, if you haven't noticed, I'm a big fan of Batali restaurants - we go to at least one every time we're in NY. Lupa was one I had wanted to go to for some time, but never made it (it is hard to get in there) but after making a reservation a month in advance, we had a 7pm reservation for 2.

When we approached the restaurant, it was very unassuming from the outside. Tom actually walked passed it and when we entered, we found this warm, inviting room, full of wood and lots of diners. Unfortunately, when I gave my name, they initially told me that they couldn't find it. I told them I'd just called 2 days earlier to confirm, and before freaking out and taking out my cell phone where I had saved the voicemail (note to self, always save confirmation voicemails from now on), they found the reservation. Apparently it'd been "hiding" (or so claimed the hostess).

We were seated a a cozy table for two. And not cozy in the bad sense. This place was far roomier and friendly than Casa Mono, which was so tiny the table had to be moved so I could get to my seat. The other surprising thing was that this was the first Batali restaurant I'd been to that seemed truly family friendly. And there were more kinds here than I'd seen at any of his other places.

Unfortunately, this warm, inviting atmosphere was not met by warm, inviting service. Our server was efficient, but not nice in any way. Imagine being served by M played by Judi Dench in the most recent Bond films. That's basically what our server looked like, and how she acted - efficient, cold, and not pleasant.

But onto the food. Tom I started off with two antipasti. (I apologize for the dark pictures, but I don't like the flash going off in these type of restaurants.). On the right was a very good dish of brussel sprouts with Pecorino. Though I was surprised that the brussel sprouts had been shredded and served raw (almost like a coleslaw) they were covered with cheese and quite tasty. On the right, Tom ordered Octopus with Ceci & Sorrel. He liked it quite a lot, saying the octopus was cooked until it was super tender.

Next up, salad. I have learned from Batali restaurants that I'm a big fan of his antipasti and pasta, but not so much of the secondis (entrees), and so for my next course, I ordered an arugula salad. Nothing too exciting here, but after my lunch, I truly needed something green. Meanwhile, Tom had a Spaghetti alla Carbonara, a classic Roman dish. It was actually the first time he'd had it, and a good place to have it, too, since Batali does excellent pastas. Filled with little chunks of pancetta and perfectly cooked spaghetti, he enjoyed it a lot.

And then onto my main course. I ordered their special pasta of the day - with handmade pasta, chicken and tomatoes. I do love getting pasta at Batali restaurants, you always know that they'll come out perfect. This one was quite tasty, and though not as amazing as the simple spaghetti agli olio that I'd had at Enoteca, I still enjoyed it.

Tom had a saltimbocca for his main course. The veal was pounded super thin, and the he did enjoy it, he just couldn't finish the whole thing off - it was too rich.

Finally dessert. I normally order gelato at Batali restaurants, they do a great job with them, but the two flavors they were offering - pistachio or lemon, just didn't interest me. We got a tartufi instead, and though it wasn't anything super special, it did finish the meal on a nice sweet note.

The food portion of our dinner was really great. The service was surprisingly poor. I've been to quite a few of his restaurants in this is the only time I've ever had unpleasant service. And to be honest, the prices aren't so bad here. I don't know if I'd be back, though. If I lived in the area, there'd be no doubt that I'd frequent this place, but since we visit NY only once or twice I year, I'm more likely to go back to Enoteca, where I know the food will just as excellent, along with the service.