A Voce just received a Michelin Star which, in case you were wondering, is a huge deal in the restaurant world. A friend recently said to me, “one day, you will need to explain to me the connection between tires and good food.” I can do no such thing. What I can do is tell you that A Voce turns out some incredible Italian. It’s definitely fine dining, it will definitely hit you hard in the wallet, and it’s definitely full of suits from the New York Life building next door, but no matter – the food coming out of that kitchen is amazing. The vibe is upscale modern, and while we were blown away by the service and the food, the music is atrocious. Smooth jazz permeates the room and makes you suddenly feel like you’re eating ravioli in John Tesh’s living room. Someone needs to sort that out ASAP. We would be happy to make suggestions. Otherwise, A Voce is firing on all cylinders. Our waiter made excellent recommendations and from appetizer to entree, most everything on the menu is phenomenal. We recommend any and all of the homemade pastas, and the roasted trumpet mushroom appetizer is straight-up unbelievable. This is another one of those spots best saved for special occasions, or any time you feel the need to drop some chang on a serious meal.
Marea definitely needs some good Infatuation press…they haven’t gotten much love lately. Makes you wonder if people around these parts have even heard of it. I mean, it’s only been awarded Best New Restaurant in America by the James Beard Foundation. While we haven’t yet logged enough hours on the road to make that kind of statement, we can definitely say that Chef Michael White makes some of the best pasta in New York City. That would be a bold statement if everyone on earth wasn’t also saying it.
Marea is one of those restaurants, like Eleven Madison Park, you walk into knowing damn well it’s going to be incredible. The food, especially the aforementioned pasta, is exquisite. A few of the dishes, including the lobster burrata, the fusili with octopus (and bone marrow), and the steak are among the best things we’ve eaten all year. Service is top notch as well – the staff know the menu inside and out, and they take excellent care of you. But for all that talk about pasta, it’s good to know this: Marea is a Quality Fish restaurant first, Italian restaurant second. To properly indulge, you’ve gotta be willing to strap on the scuba gear and eat whatever swims your way.
There are two ways to approach a Marea experience, and both are the tasting menu…it just depends on what time of day you want to eat like a baller. For lunch, the two course $42 tasting menu is a steal. That’s a better deal than what you find at most boring ass midtown business lunch destinations. Dinner is almost affordable at $89 a person for a four course tasting menu and a meal of this caliber. Ordering a la carte is always an option as well, but with such a deep menu, you’re going to be better served trying as many things as possible.
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.
Finally, a place at the top of our hit-list that actually lives up to the hype. Convivio is legit…who cares if it feels a little like eating in the lobby of an ultra-modern hotel? On first look, this doesn’t seem like an obvious Infatuation favorite. First of all, it’s in Tudor City, and second, this isn’t exactly our kind of crowd. I was definitely the only one in there rocking jeans and sneakers. But the after-work suits all seemed to be enjoying themselves, creating a nice buzz in a restaurant that we assumed would be a bit on the stuffy side.
As for the food, the $62, four course tasting menu is a steal. This is first class dining at an affordable price. While the antipasta and main courses are solid, the pasta is the main event, and the reason you need to immediately make a reservation. We’re talkin’ next level shit. It’s so good that we would like to formally petition for a full pasta tasting menu a la Convivio’s sister restaurant Marea.
Service is low key, but incredibly informative. Our waiter knew every dish inside and out, and was pleasant but not overbearing. Almost everything we ate met or exceeded expectation, and we had a good time. We will say though, those Tudor City suits must be on a tight leash. The place was completely empty by 10pm. So while Convivio does have an excellent Outdoor/Patio Situation, perfect for a Special Occasion, don’t expect things to get too wild.
For the money, Max is the best Italian in all of New York City. A long-standing Infatuation favorite, Max has been in heavy rotation for years. It’s the kind of place that seriously cares about customer satisfaction and it’s apparent through their food as well as their service. Don’t love a dish? They’ll happily bring you something else. If they recognize you as a regular, don’t be surprised if dessert is on the house. The vibe is low key and homey; it feels like eating in your Italian friend’s grandma’s dining room. In the back of the restaurant, the huge outdoor patio area is key for warm weather hangin’ and grubbin’. Portions are generous and for an average of eleven dollars per entree, you can’t go wrong.
