Risotteria

270 Bleecker Street
(212) 924-6664

This tiny West Village restaurant is always busy but always worth the wait. The risotto is yummy and served in pretty substantial portions (unless you're a linebacker, I guess). I've enjoyed the Asparagus & Saffron, the Parma Ham, Fontina & Arugula, and the Feta, Spinach & Roasted Red Peppers. Most of the items on the menu are gluten free — even the pizza, which has been really exciting for a friend of mine who can't tolerate gluten. The same goes for the tasty breadsticks they serve and, I believe, several of the beers.

Read more about Risotteria:

Official Web site
Citysearch
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New York Times
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Gonzo

140 West 13th Street
(212) 645-4606

If you're in the Union Square area and want Italian that won't change your life but is definitely in a high tastiness percentile, then go here. Jason and I tried it out a couple of weeks ago with some friends. We started with a cheese and meat plate (mmmm) and some fried olives. Yes, you heard me. Fried olives. I'm a little sad to report that this concept is a little better on paper than in practice — but they're still definitely worth trying.

For mains, Jason and I split a pizza and a pasta dish. (Forgive me, for I don't remember which ones. It seems to be a place that changes up the menu and does a lot of specials. Good for the diner, bad for the blogger who doesn't take notes and depends on Menupages to remind her what she ate.) Gonzo's thing is super thin crusts on their pizzas, and they are indeed thin, crispy, and tasty. But as Jason pointed out, it's tough to go too far wrong with pizza. The wine selection is good, though, and overall it's a pleasant experience (no snobby waiters a la A Voce). So go, and mange!

Read more about Gonzo:

Citysearch (There's video!!)
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New York Times
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'inoteca

98 Rivington Street
(212) 614-0473

It's been a while since I ventured to the Lower East Side to check out this super-hip establishment, so I'm a little fuzzy on some of the details. But here's what you need to know about the food: it's essentially Italian tapas.* YUM.

It's kind of trendy and crowded, so expect to hear your neighbor's conversation about the booties he knitted for his dog or the new loft she she just closed on in DUMBO — and expect to wait for a table. My advice is to go when you are not all that hungry yet and have a glass of wine at the bar first. I don't know Thing One about Italian wines, but I know the barman picked for my friend and me a light, spicy red that quite pleased us.

Being also unfamiliar with the actual Italian names for Italian ingredients, we depended heavily on the explications and expertise of our server, who didn't steer us wrong. I can't remember the specific dishes we got, but I remember that much bresaola and polenta were involved.

Read more about 'inoteca:

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New York Magazine
Time Out New York
Yelp

*I know that if any actual food snobs start reading this blog, I will get skewered for calling food "tapas" when it is not indeed Spanish. Whatever. You say "Italian small plates" and let's call the whole thing delicious.

A Voce

41 Madison Avenue
(212) 545-8555

The week before I took Jason to A Voce for his belated birthday meal, Time Out published the results of their Eat Out Awards 2007, in which this upscale Italian eatery was named New Restaurant of the Year. "I only take you to the best places," I told Jason, and he did not remind me that he's the one who picked it out in the first place. That's the kind of guy he is.

We were seated at a table for two near the bar. The space was large and sported a sleek, dark, modern design that didn't strike me as particularly coherent or remarkable. The tables were close enough together that the waitstaff had to pull each one out to let the booth-sitters in and that other people could easily view and chat with you about what you've ordered. My first impression of the service, sadly, was affected by a repellent maitre d'/manager type who, on seating a couple next to us, asked me to move my "duffel bag" (he was referring to my messenger bag, which travels everywhere with me on workdays and which was on the floor by my feet) so that "the lady" could sit. His clipped, bitchy tone — and the suggestion that the guest he was trying to accommodate deserved to be called a lady whereas frumpy, reptilian, messenger-bag-carrying me did not — made me feel about two inches tall for a few minutes. But luckily, this person did not intervene in our dining experience for the rest of the evening, so I was free to get over myself and enjoy the delicious food.

We started with a fried artichoke appetizer and the duck meatballs. Now, just about every reviewer and commenter says that these meatballs are to die for, and I can tell you that they are not kidding. They are seriously yum. For entrees, I ordered a gnocchi dish with ground lamb and Jason got a tasty rabbit dish. The portions weren't overwhelming, so we had room for dessert; I got the gelati (one of the flavors was salted caramel — sweet and salty Jesus, that's good stuff) and Jason got an olive oil cake, which was much tastier than it may sound to those uninitiated to the land of olive oil desserts (the olive oil gelato at Otto was my introduction). They put a candle in Jason's dessert on account of his birthday (reader, those special request forms in the Open Table reservation form really work!), which fully restored my opinion of the service.

In short, dinner at A Voce did not change my life, but the food was quite tasty. And no snobby maitre d' who's clearly having his man period can change that.

Read more about A Voce:

Official Web site
Citysearch
Menupages
New York Magazine
Time Out New York
Yelp