Comparisons of Two Little Italy Restaurants; Lupa & Il Cortile
We are just back from Rome and where we have essentially ate our way across the city, so going to an Italian restaurant in New York is definitely taking our chances. BTW, there is no bad pasta in Rome, but there is terrible Pizza. Lupa, the she wolf, symbol of Rome, is a wonderful bistro, on Thompson Street, NYC, that gets it right.
The waiters are extremely knowledgeable, (do you know the difference between Borsci and Lucano, digestifs) and are actually helpful, rare in New York. Appetizers are served in soup bowls and are tasty and distinctive. I liked the Winter Squash alla Romana. Pastas are bountiful and have interesting twists; the Bavette Cacio has a bread crumb topping. The major compliant is that the selection is small. The main courses fish or meat are seasoned just so. Sorry, Vegans need not apply. While the wine list is not cheap the variety is amazing and half carafes are available. Desserts are definitely Italian style and even the Tartufo, an ice cream bombe, has a certain savior faire.
Italians entertain at restaurants not usually at home and Lupa always has several large groups going at one time. Rather than assign a single waiter to a large table teams of waiters work together and that way everyone gets served together. Warning the front room is noisy and reservations are not only a must, but weekend reservations are hard to get.
In a galaxy far away, a long, long time ago, you made reservations at IL Cortile and then maybe, maybe you would get a table. Boy has times changed! The other day I was in little Italy, now a ghost town, I walked into IL Cortile and was seated immediately. The huge restaurant was so empty that some preschoolers were playing tag in a closed section that was bigger than most other restaurants.
On the other hand, Il Cortile's decor, at 125 Mulberry Street, is over the top, there is a man sized floral display and some of the brick s have been imported from Italy The menu was presented as a folded parchment, cute, but confusing. However, the waiter was truly professional. I ordered the Scaloppine "Panettone", veal and mushrooms baked in bread. Very quickly the waiter came back and said. The panettone was not at its best and suggested something else. The Antipasto Caldo "Cortile", hot antipasti was small and some of the items burnt. not a good start. The Spaghettini Puttanesca Speciali, literally whore's pasta, was only luke warm, but the pasta was al dente and the ingredients very fresh. It could have used a little more spice. The Mussels Marinara was very good, the sauce restaurant made and just so. My Veal dish had lots of Puccini mushrooms and the veal melted in my mouth. An old trick to determine the quality of the restaurant is to ask for a glass of the house wine, a good restaurant will not give you a bad wine. I did and got a Chianti Reserva that east very smooth and a beautiful bouquet. Dessert was Espresso and a chocolate mouse cake with crushed nuts that was worth the wait. IL Cortile still has it and I guess the emptiness can be blamed more on the economy than the restaurant.
Dinner for two in either restaurant with an inexpensive wine comes to about $140. But there is no doubt that Lupa has the food and the buzz!!
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| Daniel G. Shapiro Office: (917) 912-8669 |
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