I was kindly invited to try out Abbottega’s new menu, which includes a number of small plates which can be had for $11, or three for $25. Perfect for sharing over a bottle of wine for happy hour, or to split among friends at dinner. The restaurant itself is nestled in Greenwich Village and has a charming interior. All of the pasta can be seen being made right in the dining room if you happen to have a seat with a view.
As described previously, the menu is comprised of some small plates, several salads, housemade pasta dishes, that are all priced at $15. For the size portions, it’s a superb value. There are also five main courses, many of which change with the seasons, along with many of the ingredients in all the dishes.
The fresh bread you receive to start comes with a spread made up of potato, arugula and cream cheese. While sounds odd, it was rich and spread perfectly across my bread.
Next we were served three of the small plates. First up, eggplant parmigiana, and honestly one of the best I’ve had. The eggplant is not breaded at all, making it lighter. The eggplant was cooked to perfection, no knife needed. The sauce and cheese made the dish simple, but no flavors lost.
After the eggplant came bresaola, house made cured beef, arugula, shaved parmigiana & truffle oil. The beef was tender and was complimented well with the oil and peppery arugula.
The final small course was the millefolie di spinaci,baby spinach & taleggio terrine. Another very simple dish, but packed with flavor. Who doesn’t like melted cheese and spinach? If you don’t, maybe this will transform you.
If this wasn’t enough fool already, we had a lot more to go…Next up pasta course. Pasta course part one included a famous Roman dish, lombrichelli all’amatriciana which is tomatoes sauce, cured guanciale, pecorino cheese & chili flakes.
Next pasta course was just as good as the one before it…Ravioli di carciofi (fresh rolled pasta with artichokes, parmigiano and crispy procuitto. Despite the massive quantities of food already consumed, it was too good to pass up.
Our final savory course was a avocado mouse with branzino and spinach. This was a nice light course to finish us off.
Every single dish was well prepared, well executed and delicious. The pasta was being rolled about 10 feet from us, and you could tell it was being made with love. If you are looking for a nice Italian feast (or even a smaller meal), you’ll be taken care of at Abbottega.
