Loving Mario and the Easy Tour Guide
Great wine, pizza, calamari, Matt Dillion...that really was a great dinner.
I've visited a few of Mario Battali's restaurants, but I really love Otto. While holding my "destination" ticket...we were boarding a train for Messina, Italy...actually waiting for a table of three...I glanced around Otto's welcoming bar and felt completing relaxed and content. Patting myself on the back...I acknowledged my skills as a tour guide.
Sometimes having guests is a bit stressful. Where should I take them for dinner, which tourist sites-yuck-should we visit, and which neighborhoods to trot through? My sister was in town, and dinner on Monday night was on my mind. Italian's always a good pick, but I wanted a bit of a scene, and not too expensive. Otto proved to be a great choice.
Firstly, Otto was comfortably packed for a Monday night. People having wine at the bar with antipasti, tables strategically cluttered with plates full of pasta, pizza...it was game-time. While waiting for a table, the bartender took charge, gave us a few tastings and suggestions, and planted a quartino of a Montepulciano in front of us.
Finally seated, our waiter suggested a $30 bottle of wine-another Montepulciano that is appartently one of Mario's favorites. It was easy to drink, and went well with all of our courses. We happily settled with two pastas-carbonara and ricotta with eggplant- pizza topped with fennel for the table, a "flight" of pesce-calamari, anchioves, shrimp, mussles-and an artichoke salad. Gelato followed-olive and pistachio-and chocolate sauce appropriately served in a shot glass...I drank, yes drank, all of the chocolate sauce.
But where was Mario? Maybe at the Spotted Pig, or Babbo, or Bar Jamon? I searched for a red head wearing clogs and shorts, and to my suprise spotted Matt Dillion. "Isn't your big sis cool" I said to my sister. A New York visit just isn't complete without a celeb siting.
I've visited a few of Mario Battali's restaurants, but I really love Otto. While holding my "destination" ticket...we were boarding a train for Messina, Italy...actually waiting for a table of three...I glanced around Otto's welcoming bar and felt completing relaxed and content. Patting myself on the back...I acknowledged my skills as a tour guide.
Sometimes having guests is a bit stressful. Where should I take them for dinner, which tourist sites-yuck-should we visit, and which neighborhoods to trot through? My sister was in town, and dinner on Monday night was on my mind. Italian's always a good pick, but I wanted a bit of a scene, and not too expensive. Otto proved to be a great choice.
Firstly, Otto was comfortably packed for a Monday night. People having wine at the bar with antipasti, tables strategically cluttered with plates full of pasta, pizza...it was game-time. While waiting for a table, the bartender took charge, gave us a few tastings and suggestions, and planted a quartino of a Montepulciano in front of us.
Finally seated, our waiter suggested a $30 bottle of wine-another Montepulciano that is appartently one of Mario's favorites. It was easy to drink, and went well with all of our courses. We happily settled with two pastas-carbonara and ricotta with eggplant- pizza topped with fennel for the table, a "flight" of pesce-calamari, anchioves, shrimp, mussles-and an artichoke salad. Gelato followed-olive and pistachio-and chocolate sauce appropriately served in a shot glass...I drank, yes drank, all of the chocolate sauce.
But where was Mario? Maybe at the Spotted Pig, or Babbo, or Bar Jamon? I searched for a red head wearing clogs and shorts, and to my suprise spotted Matt Dillion. "Isn't your big sis cool" I said to my sister. A New York visit just isn't complete without a celeb siting.
posted by RebeccaMariaCecilia at 2:43 PM
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