Otto Otto Otto

Otto Enoteca Pizzeria has been reviewed countless times - it's widely renowned among New Yorkers and tourists alike due to its famous owners Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. For all the hype, the prices are very very reasonable, and I view Otto as the perfect place to go with a group for an affordable but fun, exciting and energetic meal. It's the perfect solution to that "where should we go out to dinner before going out Saturday?" question, but the only problem is making a reservation. If you are planning a week ahead and want to go on a Saturday, forget it. They allow walk ins, but anticipate to wait at least 45 minutes for a table. Even with a reservation my mother and I had to wait 20 minutes to be seated.

On the bright side, Otto has set up a perfect waiting area for its diners. Around 8 tall wooden tables allow those waiting to be seated to stand casually to order drinks, cheese plates, or any other antipasti that the menu offers. Though I admit I felt awkward leaning over a four foot table while shoveling cheese and bread in my mouth, everyone around me shared in the experience of communal snacking and lively conversation, so I wasn't too out of place. Modeled after an Italian train station, Otto has a very creative way of notifying their parties ready to be seated - upon arrival, they hand them a ticket with the name of a train stop, and they are told to look out for that name on the list of train stations constantly changing on the wall. This keeps the diners in suspense as they wait to be seated, and also provides somewhat of a fun activity to do in the mean time. It also brings them back to an Italian train station.

On to the actual dining experience. Once we were seated at our very Italian, wooden square table, our waitress quickly brought us bread and listed the specials. Slow wait to be seated, speedy process to get you the hell out of there. As a group of four, we ordered two pizzas, two pastas, a salad, and a broccoli and pecorino antipasti. The waitress claimed we would still be hungry after that, but this was clearly enough food for our table (and my family generally eats a lot). The salads here are simple - we ordered the arugula and tomato salad, which based on the description you can probably tell it was nothing to write home about, but a good simple compliment to an carb filled meal. The cheese plate was delicious, accompanied by candied cherries, fresh honey, and sweet apricots - so unique a great contrast to such saltiness.

Now for the pizzas - I remain to be a fan of the quattro stagioni pizza - a traditional pizza that strives to represent all four seasons with one fourth ham, one fourth mushrooms, one fourth peppers, and one fourth squash. Perfect for those who are indecisive. The pizza marguerita, which my sister ordered, was boring yet delicious. The pizzas here are definitely worth waiting for, as you can't find any rival in New York City - They are thin, piping hot, covered with the perfect amount of bright red tomato sauce and shiny white mozzarella cheese. The best part about them is that they aren't filling - one Otto pizza is actually what I consider a light meal. Who ever thought pizza could be light?

I generally stay away from the pastas when I come here, but being with my mom ordering pasta was a given. My favorite was the spaghetti carbonara - cooked perfectly, precisely portioned with the right amount of creaminess to contrast the chunks of crispy pancetta. Rather than being smothered in cream sauce, the noodles were just lightly dressed and stunningly seasoned. YUM. My mom also ordered the pork shoulder rigatoni with tomato sauce. This was delicious, but I am not a huge fan of pork. Order this if you like that braised, smothering taste of rather lean pork shoulder. Pastas were both al dente, which I love.

Dessert was stellar, which is SO unusual for an Italian joint (but then again, this isn't just any Italian joint). We ordered the "black and white" - milk chocolate chip gelato, hazelnut brittle, creme fraiche gelato, chocolate sauce, and caramel whipped cream. Wow. That combo was like a science project - each bite brought a new, delicately sweet flavor that I had never experienced. The brittle was quite subtle, and was by far the best part of the dessert. All gelato at Otto is made in house, and you can definitely taste the difference. Highly recommend this dessert for a creative take on gelato.

Soooo when all was said and done we definitely enjoyed our experience at Otto, though if you are looking for something more leisurely, this is not the place to go. With such high demand it's not surprising that their turnaround time is short, but the delicious food and the possibility of seeing Mario is more than worth the rush.

Address: 1 Fifth avenue at 8th street, 10003
Website: www.ottopizzeria.com

Caracas cha cha cha

NEW FAVORITE RESTAURANT ALERT, I REPEAT, NEW FAVE. Soooo good.

High expectations were met. Mike has been begging me to go there for months, but I wasn't convinced that I would enjoy arepas, or what seemed to me like a greasy, meaty Venezuelan sandwich. I continued on in my stubbornness until I saw Caracas featured on Bobby Flay's Throwdown (in which the featured chefs for once won), and the little snacks looked so irresistible on TV that I couldn't wait any longer to try them. There is almost always a line or a wait at this place, so we decided to go 15 minutes before it opened at noon on Sunday. The menu is amazing - there are a TON of options - two delicious salads, a selection of empanadas, different Venezuelan combination plates, side dishes, desserts, milk shakes, and of course, arepas. Being a beginner, I ordered "La Popular" which featured 3 different arepas - one with stewed shredded beef, plantains, beans, and white cheese, one with chunks of chicken and avocado, and one with white manchego cheese, peppers, beans, and jalapenos. Holy crap they were all so delicious! The arepa itself is a circular shaped, crispy yet tender dough - slightly similar to a hybrid of an english muffin and a small tortilla, and is absolutely perfect as a pocket for the fresh, bright, and flavorful ingredients stuffed into it. I imagined the arepa to be a fried, greasy bread, but instead it is light, crispy and not greasy at all.
I also ordered a fourth arepa to try with perico (Venezuelan eggs), avocado, and cheese. All four arepas I tasted were phenomenal and delicious in their own right, but I'd have to say my favorite was the chicken and avocado. Two arepas are sufficient to feed one person, but I would advise to do what I did and get four different ones to share. I also highly recommend the Venezuelan taro chips and guac - probably the crispiest, lightest, and most flavorful chips I have ever tasted.
I know I sound overzealous, but I am being honest when I say that this place is one of the greatest NYC finds. In addition to a diverse, cheap menu, Caracas has a vibrant, laid back atmosphere with friendly, efficient (and beautiful) waitstaff, fun yet unobtrusive music, and happy and overly satisfied customers. I also ordered a banana milkshake with cinnamon to go which was also delicious - refreshing and cold with small chunks of fresh banana and just enough sweetness to hit the spot.

I can't wait to go back to this little gem in the East Village, and I look forward to trying one of the Venezuelan plates that I had to resist this time around.

Address: 91 East 7th street between 1st and Avenue A
Website: www.caracasarepabar.com
**no reservations accepted!

In Vino Wine Bar in East Village

I decided to try this place because of the many great reviews my friends have given it. I am always looking for solid, well priced Italian food - Italian food is one of the cuisines that doesn't require a lot of money for high quality. In Vino is a pretty small space, which makes it tough to get a table without a wait during prime hours. Reservations are only taken on the weekends until 7:30pm. The only dish that I thought was actual memorable was the porcini mushroom ravioli with a truffle cream sauce, which was perfectly filling - not too heavy, but loaded with mushroom flavor. I also ordered the meatball appetizer - three large meatballs served straight out of the oven in a ceramic dish and piled with a dense, rich tomato sauce, which was slightly too heavy to cover a meat dish too heavy itself. The meatballs were flavorful, but they lacked that crusty outside that made me fall in love with my mom's meatballs in the first place. The special salad with sweet potatoes and beets was doused with WAY too much oil, turning a seemingly light appetizer into a greasy plate of mixed root vegetables. And lastly, the shrimp pappardelle pasta with cherry tomatoes was tasty, but nothing to write home about. I added salt to every bite, and the shrimp was slightly overcooked. An extra vegetable or a light sauce would have given this dish much more depth.
In Vino is known for it's wine list, and being far from a wine connoiseur, I am not a good judge of whether the menu is as amazing as everyone claims. However, it was undoubtedly really long and had a substantial list of affordable wines by the glass.
The service was great - very friendly, accommodating, and patient, and the place itself (despite the constant draft of cold air) was warm, dimly lit, intimate, and inviting. Definitely a great date spot with its down to earth feel and cozy environment, just make sure to bring an extra sweater or two or it may make your meal unenjoyable.
I think I need to give this place another shot before I judge it's quality appropriately, but overall based off of one visit I would definitely give it another try but with lowered expectations.

Address: 214 East 4th street btwn Ave A and B
Website: www.invino-ny.com