I've been in NYC for quite a while now and have spent countless hours in the Village yet somehow had never crossed paths with this adorable quaint Italian place right on Cornelia Street. Holly had mentioned how it had one of the most beautiful back patios in all of NYC, so of course I had to check it out. We tried to get a reservation on Opentable but they did't have anything available on a Friday night but we walked in around 7pm and they were able to seat us, just not outside, which was fine. The inside is a bit cramped but with all the pretty flowers and open windows (it was almost 80 degrees in October), it felt welcoming and airy.
The menu leans towards more traditional Italian but it's not old school red sauce type. The menu itself is flowery and pretty like the restaurant and the waiter was very kind and walked us through a few things on the menu as well as the long list of great sounding specials. We started with the tuna tartare ($21) and the burrata special for appetizers and then we opted to split two different pastas for our entrees - we got the pappardelle ($26) and the fettuccine ai funghi ($26). We were a bit hesitant on the fettuccine because it was served with gluten free pasta and since neither of us had a gluten allergy we weren't sure if we really needed to go that route but the waiter convinced us that it was just as good but if we really wanted to we could switch it out with regular pasta. We decided to take his word and see how it goes.
The tuna tartare appetizer was excellent. It was a huge serving of chopped up fresh yellowfin tuna with capers and avocado. It was simple and so perfectly executed that I didn't want to really share the dish. Alas, I didn't really feel the same way about the burrata. Usually I am a huge fan of burrata and I generally feel that it's a hard dish to get wrong. But this one was served with sautéed leeks and the flavor combination just didn't work for me. The burrata could have also been a bit saltier also but luckily Holly really likes leeks so it all kind of worked out between the two of us.
As for the pastas, they were both great too but who would have thought the gluten free pasta would have been the winner of the night? I am a huge fan of pappardelle pasta because of the thick ribbon shape and it usually is served in a red sauce and this one was no exception. It came with slow roasted lamb, olives, rosemary and pecorino. It was a solid dish but honestly tasted like any other really good pappardelle dish in NYC. Maybe it was because we had low expectations with the fettuccine that we liked it more but you really couldn't tell the difference between that pasta and a gluten filed pasta. It was served with wild mushroom and black truffle pate, so it was a bit on the heavy side but it was really hearty dish and you really didn't feel like you were missing out on anything. This isn't to say that I am on the gluten-free bandwagon, but I was definitely a fan of this dish. The only miss of the evening was that we had to flag down the waiter a few times to get parmesan for the pasta - usually they come right when they serve the pasta and ask if you want any cheese to go with it (and the answer should always be yes) but this time they didn't which was a bit frustrating.
Even though we couldn't get a seat outside, I had to check it out and it was indeed a very lovely patio. It had gorgeous lush greenery, lots of sun coming in, and adorable small twinkling lights. I can see it being the perfect place for a romantic outing or special occasion.
Overall, it was a lovely surprise and oasis smack in the middle of the busy Village. You definitely feel transported away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The food is good but what you're really coming here for the cozy and gorgeous atmosphere. Total bill: $98/pp with tax, tip and drinks
Photo Credit: Yelp
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