Scarpetta

355 W. 14th St., Chelsea, NY

8.6

map & more

Neighborhood
Chelsea
Meatpacking District

Cuisine
Italian
Pasta

Nearby
Highline Ballroom
Hiro

212-691-0555

Official Website

By Chris Stang
May 27, 2009

I have to admit, when I walked up to Scarpetta (which sits on the 14th Street border of the Meatpacking District) late on a Saturday evening, part of me expected to see an H2 limo pull up and let out a gaggle of women having “like the best night ever on Stacey’s 34th birthday!” Luckily, that was not the case. For now, the tasteful and dim lit room is calm and relatively untouched by Meatpacking District sprawl. I say “for now” because rave reviews, proximity to the Gansevoort, and the chill out lounge beats pumping through the speakers will soon draw in Stacey and her wobbly heeled friends. Regardless, Scarpetta fully lives up to all the recent hype. The food is absolutely incredible, and I was blown away by how simple and well executed everything was. Truffles and foie gras make appearances, yet don’t come off the slightest bit heavy handed. I was never a fan of sweetbreads, but Scarpetta might have changed my opinion after having them in the excellent farfalle dish. The spaghetti is just that, spaghetti in tomato sauce with basil – incredibly simple and somehow the star of the menu. I will deduct points for the electronic elevator music, but otherwise Scarpetta is about as good as it gets.

Food Rundown:

Soft Shell Crab with Lemon Prosecco Zabaglione and English Pea Puree
This was apparently just added to the menu, and was incredible. Even if you don’t typically go for soft shell crab, order this.

Polenta with Fricassee of Truffled Mushrooms
I love it when a plate is finished table side. Our waiter brought two small pots to the table, one with the polenta, the other with the truffled mushrooms and delicately combined the two. It took every ounce of my will power not to pull it in front of me and eat it like a bowl of cereal.

Spaghetti
As stated above, this is fresh made pasta, tomato sauce, and basil. That’s it. I can’t tell exactly what makes this so unbelievably good, but it might be the best thing I had all night.

Duck and Foie Gras Ravioli
Thank you, honorable duck who died so we could eat this. You are gone but never forgotten.

Farfalle with Sweetbreads
Completely changed the way I look at sweetbreads. Typically I avoid the organs of animals, but between this and the foie gras ravioli, I think I may have seen the light.

Pancetta Wrapped Veal Loin
These are smallish veal medallions surrounded by pancetta. Delicious.

Striped Sea Bass with Saffron Gnocchi and Lobster
To be honest, by the time this arrived at the table I was in a heavy food coma. It was a great piece of fish, but I was drunk on foie gras and pasta … and wine.