Back in New York!
My dad and I made the drive back to Manhattan this afternoon, and this evening, we headed into the West Village to meet Gracie for dinner at Barbuto, a trendy Italian restaurant with an incredible menu.
We were immediately brought a dish of gourmet olives, which I dominated.
To drink, my dad ordered a bottle of Chateau de Campoget rose for the table. It was refreshing and not to sweet- perfect for the sweltering heat!
Barbuto recommends ordering plates to share, but we opted to order our own entrees and just split the appetizers and sides. We started off with the zucchini e farro: grilled summer squash, pickled shallots, lollo rosso & farro.
As well as a beet salad with roasted local beets, ricotta salata, baby mixed greens and hazelnut dressing.
Both were spectacular. The dressing on the beet salad was absolutely to die for- full of hazelnuts and the perfect amount of oil. Best thing I’ve eaten in awhile!
For my entree, I chose the pesce spada: grilled local swordfish with artichokes, fava beans and wild arugula.
I loved how thin the swordfish was. I’m used to swordfish steaks, which can be overwhelming, but this was the perfect amount of food. I was definitely very full by the time the meal was over, though!
Both Gracie and my dad ordered the merluzzo salate: pan roasted cod with vegetable ragu and basil.
I tried a bite of Gracie’s and it was delicious- particularly the lightly fried exterior. The three of us also shared a dish of their broccoli with capers, anchovies and garlic.
Usually I always have room for dessert, but since this meal was so filling and Gracie and I had plans to go out afterwards, we skipped the sweets. She and I ended up at The Frying Pan, one of my favorite outdoor summer bars, where we each had a few beers and caught up on each others’ lives.
I’m so glad to be back!
