One of the most disappointing meals ever. Mario Batali needs to get back into this kitchen or shut this place down.
I just want to be clear up front. This review isn’t one of those the meal wasn’t worth the money reviews. This meal wasn’t worth any money.
We had very high expectations for the evening. As we were shown to our table, it appeared as if everyone was in a rush. This continued through out the evening until the last course. Once we ordered, we were brought bread. It was cold and not fresh. We needed to ask for olive oil not once but twice.
We were then brought a free chick pea bruschetta which although we didn’t realize it at the time was by far the highlight of the evening. Very fresh and nicely seasoned.
About five minutes later our appetizers arrived. Way too fast. My wife’s grilled octopus was rubbery and tasteless. It seemed as if it was microwaved. My mussels “alla Tarantina” were swimming in broth and just didn’t taste right.
As we had steak last night and a big brunch we both opted for pasta for our mains. Similar to the appetizers, our entrees arrived almost immediately after the plates from the first course were cleared. Wild Boar Pappardelle Bolognese was an indiscernible pile of mush. I couldn’t tell the pasta from the mushrooms from the wild boar. It was truly awful. My entree, Black Spaghetti with Rock Shrimp, Spicy Salami Calabrese and Green Chilies was this odd combination of greasy and grainy. The shrimp were tasteless. I will grant the chef a gold star for nicely done al dente pasta.
So after the sprint of dinner we had a nice long break prior to dessert and coffee. 45 minutes to be exact elapsed between the clearing of our dinner plates and the arrival of our coffee. Odd considering the pacing of the rest of our meal. Maybe they were hoping that I would forget before getting the bill!
Maybe I should have had more to drink but with wine markups of 4-5x, I wasn’t all that excited.
This is the worst review that I have ever written. Hopefully, it will save someone from a similar experience.
quadboy1960 
Try Terrior on Harrison. Sit by the bar and let them serve the wine… After a few drinks, start on the menu but still sit at the bar! The staff is more knowledgeable about wine than anywhere I have been.
Babbo is for tourists and those wanting a celeb restaurant. I would have had the same review for Lupa on Thompson. These Batali run restaurants seem like a nice idea but it is just too difficult to pull off since they ultimately cater to tourists and those looking for a once in a lifetime experience.
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Thanks Tony, I think u r right. I did once have an amazing meal at Del Posto but that was many years ago. Il think ill take your advice or just go back to Volare’s on W4th!
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