Barbuto is one of those classic NYC staple restaurants that's been around for a while and despite not being new anymore, always seems packed. I finally decided to check it out on a Friday night with Holly at 7pm and it was definitely super crowded despite the rainy crappy weather outside. We waited about 30 minutes for a table since we didn't have a reservation but it was easy enough to wait it out by the bar. What initially drew me to this place was the cool space - it is designed to look like the inside of a garage with the garage doors still intact but with lots of windows to give it a bright airy feel.
The menu is Italian focused, and while it is fairly limited it does change seasonally. We started with the bruschetta with mushroom, ricotta and balsamic vinegar ($12) for an appetizer. I was torn between getting the pork loin and the saffron risotto with pancetta and rock shrimp so I asked the waiter for his opinion. He said that these were his two favorite dishes on the menu and looked totally pained at having to choose but said that the risotto probably wouldn't be on the menu for too much longer and that the pork loin usually stays in rotation longer, so I opted for the risotto ($21). Meanwhile, Holly opted for the hanger steak with escarole ($26). The bruschetta came out and there were 4 fairly decent sized pieces to it, which is nice since usually most places just give you 2 pieces. I really enjoyed this dish. The bread was perfectly soft in the middle but with the right amount of crunch to the crust. The mushroom was very hearty - in fact I mistook it for meat at first. I particularly liked the combination of the ricotta and the delicious and very aged thick balsamic vinegar. I could have eaten spoonfuls of the ricotta and balsamic vinegar and been just as happy. Holly did mention that some of the mushrooms were a bit too blackened for her taste which gave it a slightly burnt flavor and texture. After these delicious bites, I was excited for my risotto. Honestly, I usually don't get risotto very often nor is it necessarily my favorite dish, but the waiter was so enthusiastic about it, that I just had to try it. The portion size was relatively small but that was probably a good thing considering how unhealthy risotto is in general. I was originally intrigued by the description of it being saffron flavored but it seemed like it was really more saffron in color vs. in taste. The texture of it was done right in that it was creamy but not overly mushy. The pieces of pancetta added a lot of salt to the dish - almost a bit too much. While I was most excited by the addition of the rock shrimp, I was disappointed to see that the shrimp was chopped up into small pieces vs. being served whole. The dish just didn't seem to showcase the shrimp very well. The dish wasn't bad but it did make me kind of wish that I had ordered the pork loin instead. Apparently the best dish on the menu is the chicken, so maybe sticking with meat based dishes here is the way to go. I tried a piece of Holly's hanger steak which did help to fill me up a bit. She had ordered it medium but it looked a bit more on the medium rare side but it wasn't a big enough deal to send it back. While the flavor of the steak was pretty good, it was a bit on the chewy side and instead of slicing it nice and thin, it was presented in more like 3-4 big hunks of steak, so Holly had to do a bit of work cutting to get them to the right bite size pieces. I didn't try the escarole but Holly did make a point of saying that she really enjoyed it.
Usually when I eat a heavy pasta dish, I don't have room for dessert, but I was still hungry after my entree, so we opted to go for some dessert. We were torn between the caramel pudding and the rum babba, so based on the recommendation from our waiter we opted for a rum baba with chestnut ice cream ($9). I am a huge lover and fan of rum cake and it's been a while since I've had really great rum cake (check out Calliope if you are looking for amazing rum cake), so I was excited to try it out. The cake was pretty small but fairly boozy and soft. But what was a bit off putting about the dish was the chestnut ice cream - it had this really grainy texture that was just weird. I'm not sure if it was actually supposed to be classic ice cream or not, but it just didn't do it for me. I would have preferred a big dollop of fresh whipped cream instead.
All in all, it's a great space, a loud and fun crowd and has super friendly waitstaff. The food wasn't a miss but I kind of left wanting more. The table next to us got the pork loin and that did look delicious, so if I ever did come back I would probably lean towards getting either the popular chicken or the pork loin. The prices were also a bit high for what it was but this is the Meatpacking District, so I'm not all that surprised by it. Total bill: $60/pp with tax, tip and drinks
Photo Credit: Yelp
1 comment:
I agree. I give it three forks as well! It was fun to catch up last night!
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