jbjayhawk

Hello! As some of you know from previous posts the wife and I are headed to NYC in late April. We know it is tough to get reservations but we are considering trying to get reservations to Babbo on a Saturday night. We expect the food to be good but what about the portion size? Everyone has seen the commercial where the portions are the size of a pea. That's not what we're looking for. We're looking for a nice dinner recommendation in the Village / Soho area where we can eat for under $150 for two. Dinner to include: appetizer, two entrees & a dessert. Maybe a couple glasses of wine? To be honest, this would be a lot more $ than we normally spend on a meal. I guess what I'm saying is I would be very dissappointed if we ate there and the food quality was outstanding but I spent $150 and feel like I need to go grab something else to eat after we're done. Thoughts? We're not looking for monster size portions but I think you get the angle we're coming from. Other recommendations are appreciated. If it helps, we eat all types of food, thai, sushi, indian etc. Thanks!

nytraveler

There's no way you;'re doing Babbo for that price. (The tasting menu is $75 per person and the matching wines are $50 per person - so over $300 with tip and tax. Even picking very carefully at every course and with only a glass of wine I don;t think you can do it for $150.) Have a look at menupages.com - which shows actual menu with prices and diner reviews so you can see what I mean.

$150 for dinner for 2 with a decent bottle of wine is moderate in NYC - it won;t cover any of the upscale restaurants esp with tax and tip.

But- there are lot of places with good food tin that price range - just not upscale "name" places.

Is your preference really for Italian? What type of atmosphere are you looking for - fun and boisterous, quieter, trendy?

NeoPatrick

A nice alternative to Babbo is Lupa (also Mario Batali), and can be in your price range. It's loud and bustling, but the food is wonderful, and you won't get "toy" food. The bucatini tops any I've had in Rome -- and I've had lots of it there.

jbjayhawk

Thanks for the response! We looked at the menu and figured $15 for a shared appetizer and it looked like we could eat for around $30 each (average..some menu items more & some less). Dessert looked to be around $15. We were figuring approx. $100 for food + a couple drinks & tip. I was actually surprised when I looked at the menu as I thought it would would be much more expensive (probably is based on what you're saying) but that's why I was wondering about the portions.

I understand & I appreciate what you're telling us. We're really open to suggestions. Like I said, we eat cusine from all around the world. My wife has done 95% of the planning for this trip so I'm not 100% sure what all she has cooked up. Italian might be a good option for that night since we're already leaning that way. Loud, quiet, it doesn't matter to us. If the place is well recommended with good food, atmosphere etc. we're game to give it a whirl. We'll have to look into Lupa. Thanks again!

NeoPatrick

www.luparestaurant.com

sobster

You might want to ask your question at the website chowhound.com Click on Boards then on Manhattan

bill_boy

It'll be tough to be satisfied with your $150 budget for 2 at Babbo. It's a very good choice as most consider it the pinnacle of Italian dining in NYC. You may find it to be such a waste of a difficult and most sought-after reservation as you may end up wanting for more if you stick to your budget. I'm almost certain thay if you include wine, you will overshoot.

I'll second my buddy neoPat's Lupa recommendation. It's a very good alternative and the pasta dishes, any of them, have always been terrific. Your $150 will go a long way here. It is also a Batali joint.

Gekko

Babbo has been resting on its laurels for quite some time now. The food is mediocre, particularly for the price. You can do much better elsewhere.

Aduchamp1

I am not big fan of Lupa either.

Take a look at I Coppi for Italian in the East Village.

Gekko

Another great East Village option is Lavagna.

dina4

honestly, I don't understand.
If you share an appetizer, get two entrees, 1 dessert, and 2 glasses of wine, you can easily eat at babbo for about $150. did you look at the online menu?

Babbo is not to be missed.
(I liked it much better than Luppa.)

curiouser

When we lived in that area a few years ago, we were too lazy to deal with the reservation queue at Babbo but were regulars at Lupa, usually without reservation. Excellent food, and was very reasonable then. No problems with portion size; we usually split a main meat dish and had many of the exquisite small vegetable dishes-- a beet roasted in leaves infused with orange oil still stands out in my mind years later. The style is rich Roman food.

mp

I think if you are very careful you can squeeze out of Babbo for that amount - not sure if you will experience the best the restaurant has to offer,though. If you're just dying to try babbo in a bit of a more informal way and you're willing to risk it, you might try going very early to sit at the bar, share a couple of bowls of pasta and some wine - that's always fun, too. And I respectfully disagree with gekko and aduchamp - my recent meal at Babbo two months ago was as good as my first in the first year it opened - and I think Lupa is a very good alternative.

But there are many other good choices in the West Village, too. You might like The Little Owl; Snack Taverna; Crispo; Surya - all within your budget and all very good food. Check out their menus at menupages.com . . Little Owl has terrific food, but is a tiny place - reserve a month in advance . . . they're on opentable.com

nytraveler

I agree that we still like babbo. But - we never get out for anywhere near $150. To do so you would have to be careful in selecting each dish by price, not order any veggies and limit yourselves to one glass of the least expensive wine each.

If you want to order any of the more expensive dishes or specials, order any veggies and want more than one glass of a better wine - or a drink first and then wine with the meal you're over $200 (even with a modest wine).

NeoPatrick

Don't forget, if the total bill including tax and tip is to be limited to $150, that means the actual bill has to end at about $118! These days in places like Babbo, it gets pretty difficult for two people to have two glasses of wine each for less than $40, more if you like really nice wines. That's putting the food bill down to $78!

emcash

I will be amazed if you can order an app, 2 entrees, dessert and a couple of glasses of wine, with tip for under 150 at babbo. I will be more amazed if you can get a reservation for babbo prior to 10 pm even if you call at 10 a.m. exactly 1 month prior when they open the phone lines. Frankly, though I love Babbo, I have given up on it, bc the frustration of trying to get a reservation is just not worth it.

jodeenyc

The last time I went to Babbo it was a couple years ago but I remember the portion sizes being "average"- not too big or small.

If you do want to book it, book early. I'm not sure if this is the case now, but in past years they only accepted reservations 30 days out.

I remember calling once (exactly 30 days out) and I could only get a 10pm reservation for 2!!

(we still went by the way )

artman

We ate a Babbo's last year on our trip to NYC. And no you really should not plan on going there for $150. Remember an appetizer is a small portion. If you split it your each going to get a bite.
One other thing that others haven't touched on. The food we had at Babbos was wonderful. However if I was going again I would definitely do the tasting menu for one simple reason. The entire menu is in Italian and unless you have traveled to Italy or know about real Italian food you are not going to recognize a thing on the menu. The waitress we had was very friendly but they also don't want to treat you like a child and unless your willing to ask about everything( unlikely) your left with a feeling that you are just stabbing in the dark when your ordering. I think i would be wonderfull to go with someone who knows the menu or can guide you. Or do the tasting menu.

Loki

I am a fan of Babbo and Lupa and when once confined to eating near the theatre district, tried Roberto Passon:

http://www.robertopasson.com/

And found it to be a decent ripoff of Babbo; I mean that in the best way, really, though I don't think they serve organs. Otherwise similar menu with emphasis on pasta and at a more reasonable price.

Just make sure if you're not in a hurry to catch a show, tell the waiter so service isn't rushed. Better yet, go during show times.

jbjayhawk

Thanks everyone. Your thoughts have been helpful! MP, we'll look into some of your recommendations. Loki, Roberto Passon came well recommended in some other research we were doing. We have that as a possible option for our trip. I'll pass all this along to the wife, she's been planning all of this, I just had the question about Babbo. Thanks again and keep your eyes peeled, I'm sure we'll be back with some additional NY questions.