NYC for one night- finally got into Babbo
 

Dh and I took DD to NYC for 2 days and one night for our annual visit to see the tree. we stayed at the London again, which we really love. the service there has been impeccable, the room very spacious and I love afternoon tea at Gordon Ramsey's.

We got in a little late for lunch and wanted italian and fast, so we had lunch at Bice right down the street. An old standby and pricey yes, but i have to tell you, it was delicious. Really fresh pasta and wonderful service. Spent the day pretty much Christmas shopping.

I had been calling babbo every few hours to try to get a table, and at about 2:30, I was told they could have a table for us for 9:45. We hadn't planned on eating till about 9, so I jumped on it.

Back at the hotel in the early evening, I ordered room service for my DD and as she was just finishing dinner, about half an hour before i wanted to shower, I realized that I had forgotten my dress clothes. Panic! I bundled up DD, put her in her stroller and RAN to Saks. Long story short, I found something suitable and made it back in time to get on with our evening.Gotta love NY though that you can do that!

Onto the evening... One of DH and I's favorite things is to go to the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis for a drink before dinner. Last year when we tried this, we were turned away b/c the bar was full. Although i really thought that would happen again, we decided to give it a try and walked over. It was about 8:30 at this point and we walked in and the bar was half empty. I couldn't believe it. definitely a sign of the current economy. It was still really wonderful- such a beautiful room in my very favorite hotel.

Onto dinner at Babbo.. we showed up at our reserved time and we were immediately seated. I have to agree with a previous poster about the music there-- kinda loud and weird choices--I think we were listening to 80s rock. weird for a romantic restaurant. Anyway, we ordered a nice but overpriced bottle of wine which we enjoyed. We shared a shrimp app which ws so delicious. We then shared an entree size dish of the bucatini al a'matriciana that was AMAZING. lick your plate delicious. We each got our own entree- my DH the pork and I the braised beef. Both, unfortunately, were very disappointing. Mine was truly awful, and I should have said something, but i didn't. we didn't have dessert.

What i like about Babbo is that the prices are fairly reasonble for such a nice and popular restaurant (as opposed to, say del posto). Unfortunately though, i don't think i'll be going back any time soon-- it didn't hold the allure that it did for me after my first meal there 6 years ago.

The next day, we took my daughter to Rockefeller center to watch the skaters and see the tree. I think she could have sat there all day! We then went to St. Patricks to show her the nativity scene (Baby Jesus was missing- weird!)Later, we walked over to the Plaza and had lunch at the Oak Room Bar. That too, was a very disappointing meal--overcooked, overpriced burger and very anchovy-ish ceasar. But I love that room.

Short but sweet!There's really something special about NYC this time of year.

emcash - sounds like you had a short, but sweet visit. My one experience with Babbo was last March and all four of us had great food (can't remember the music though and I didn't think it was romantic at all). But my feeling is that if I don't have a stellar meal at a restaurant with Babbo prices, I wouldn't go back - too many other great places to drop a bundle. Anyway, glad all three of you had a good time. Come back soon!

Hi emcash, regarding the Baby Jesus "missing", I don't know if it is true throughout the US but usually "Baby Jesus" is not put into the crib until Christmas Eve so perhaps that is why he was "missing" when you visited St. Patricks. Best regards.

LoveItaly - you just reminded me of growing up in an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn. Many of my neighbors had nativity scenes in their front yards and there was no baby Jesus until Christmas eve.

LoveItaly- I didn't know that! wht a lapsed Catholic I am! Thanks for clarifying that for me. makes sense!

Thanks for the brief but detailed report. I've still never been to Babbo and was wondering how things are now at the Oak Room. Glad to hear the London still works well for you. Happy holidays!

Thanks for the review of Babbo. I have been thinking to go there...but I hate bad music during dinner...and if the food really isn't that good...??

I hate to say that the food wasn't that good b/c my app and pasta were unbelievably amazing. It was just my entree, and I am kicking myself for not saying something.

Several other posters are correct...Baby Jesus doesn't show up until Christmas. One other tidbit...Christmas carols...Joy to the World, Hark the Herald Angels, etc. are not sung during Advent.

During Advent hymns such as O Come, O Come Emmanuel are sung. Nothing related to the birth of Christ is mentioned until Mass for Chritmas.

emcash, I'm curious if you think something was actually wrong with your entree or if you mean you just didn't like it (like you ordered the wrong thing for you)?

I must say I haven't had the bucatini at Babbo, but it's my regular at Lupa and it is FABULOUS (and I assume it is the same)! But I too wasn't really blown away by the food overall at Babbo. In fact, I much prefer Lupa overall (including the more casual atmosphere).

emcash...you need to try Becco...one of the best deals for Italian food in NYC.

Deb, I'm glad you said "one of the best deals" and not "one of the best for food". While Becco does indeed fill one up, I found their three pastas special all very bland, devoid of any special or expensive ingredients, and nothing but "fillers". Although I will say their inexpensive wine list has some real gems for the price.

I realize I may be in a minority here, as it is very popular, but I'd rather pay more for exquisite food. And while I said I was disappointed in some of my food at Babbo, it was still infinitely more exciting than Becco. I just had much higher expectations there than at Becco.

I have eaten at Lupa, Esca, Cafe Mono, Bar Jamon and the Spotted Pig on a number of occassions and do not understand the charm. The food is often over salted which seems to be the signature of the Batali restaurants. The exception is Spotted Pig which I thoroughly enjoyed.

A friend of mine who is a food writer and a buddy of Batali beats me up for dislking his food and not recognizing a really fine chef.

His performance in "Spain-On The Road Again," is the worst of solipsistic indulgence and, if anything, harmed his image with people who have affection for Spain.

His AC/DC shorts and orange Crocs certainly did not help.

Becco offers a lot of food in a convenient location.

I would definitely return to Becco. We had a really fun time and did not make reservations in advance...although we did have to wait a little while for a table. Between 30-45 minutes I think.

We did have some very good inexpensive wine.

I was visiting between Christmas and New Year's last year and did not want to have a rigid plan. I enjoyed Becco very much. The wait staff and all other personnel were very pleasant.

I have not been to Becco and have friends who go there for lunch whenever they are in the city. I never thought it was in the same league "special occasion-wise" as babbo.

Neo- I love braised beef, and I love polenta. The beef was very tough and had a very odd flavor. The polenta had no flavor whatsoever. It was completely devoid of flavor (and salt for that matter!). My mom (bless her soul) who was an amazing cook, sometimes tried to cut corners with beef to save money. My DH, who loved my mom's cooking generally, hated when she made beef b/c it tasted like, well, cheap beef. he tried my entree and said "this tastes like your mother's meat."

I don't think it was something I shouldn't have ordered. It just didn't taste good. DH got the pork chop and while it was good, it tasted like something I would make-- ok/good, but nothing SPECIAL.

now, mind you, had I ordered a salad and then the bucatini as my entree, I would be writing an A+ review of Babbo. Honestly, I sopped up every last bit of that sauce with my bread. So, I guess in a way I did order the wrong thing!

you are absolutely right about Becco not being for a special occasion, but it was still fun.

After being married almost 30 yrs...my ideas about a good restaurant have changed. I love really fine food, but sometimes all the details that go with the experience are too much!

I certainly can't eat the amount of food I did 30 yrs ago...especially since I was a competative swimmer and could eat how ever much I could stuff into my body with no consequences. :-)