More on Hearth & Lupa
Well, so much for that once a week posting goal… Anyhow, I do have a few more quick bites from recent New York dining.
Marty and I took his parents out for another outstanding meal at Hearth. I had the baby lettuces ($9) with shallots, beets, and red wine vinegar. Not an amazing salad, but it worked. Although I didn’t try everyone else’s dishes the marinated sardines ($12) and Nantucket scallop special (~$15) seemed to disappear pretty quickly. For an entrée, I had the pumpkin tortelli ($20) in an amaretti, chestnut, and sage sauce. Although not a large portion, it was a perfect fall/winter treat. The filling was not too sweet and contrasted nicely with the rich sauce. We couldn’t pass up the heavenly gnocchi ($8), and tried out the polenta ($6). The polenta was more like fancy grits dotted with herbs. They were okay - I wouldn’t likely order them again. We passed on dessert since we had molten chocolate cakes waiting for us at home, but I couldn’t help but notice that the apple cider doughnuts are back on the menu. I had read a lot about them when Hearth opened, but by the time we went, they were off the menu. I may have to make another reservation quickly just to try those out.
Another place we hit with Marty’s parents was Lupa (or to be more formal Lupa Osteria Romana). We’ve been there 2 or 3 times previously and once we’ve taken the time to translate the tedious menu - it’s all in Italian with a glossary of translation on the back of the menu - have enjoyed most everything we’ve had. A couple of dishes have been too salty (a bread-crumbed, proscuitto appetizer special and a sausage pasta special), but otherwise the place stands out for its superior quality homemade pasta and overall value (we got out of there for four spending about $100 although we did skip wine and dessert). Our consistent favorite dish at Lupa is the appetizer, octopus "in Panissa" ($10). The octopus is very tender and sitting in a garlicky, chunky sauce of chickpeas. This time we also tried the smoked eggplant "Sformato" ($6), which was basically an eggplant puree over ricotta cheese. It was also delicious. None of the pastas were jumping out at me, so I tried the pork Saltimbocca ($16). It was okay, I think I would stick to the pastas.
Marty and I took his parents out for another outstanding meal at Hearth. I had the baby lettuces ($9) with shallots, beets, and red wine vinegar. Not an amazing salad, but it worked. Although I didn’t try everyone else’s dishes the marinated sardines ($12) and Nantucket scallop special (~$15) seemed to disappear pretty quickly. For an entrée, I had the pumpkin tortelli ($20) in an amaretti, chestnut, and sage sauce. Although not a large portion, it was a perfect fall/winter treat. The filling was not too sweet and contrasted nicely with the rich sauce. We couldn’t pass up the heavenly gnocchi ($8), and tried out the polenta ($6). The polenta was more like fancy grits dotted with herbs. They were okay - I wouldn’t likely order them again. We passed on dessert since we had molten chocolate cakes waiting for us at home, but I couldn’t help but notice that the apple cider doughnuts are back on the menu. I had read a lot about them when Hearth opened, but by the time we went, they were off the menu. I may have to make another reservation quickly just to try those out.
Another place we hit with Marty’s parents was Lupa (or to be more formal Lupa Osteria Romana). We’ve been there 2 or 3 times previously and once we’ve taken the time to translate the tedious menu - it’s all in Italian with a glossary of translation on the back of the menu - have enjoyed most everything we’ve had. A couple of dishes have been too salty (a bread-crumbed, proscuitto appetizer special and a sausage pasta special), but otherwise the place stands out for its superior quality homemade pasta and overall value (we got out of there for four spending about $100 although we did skip wine and dessert). Our consistent favorite dish at Lupa is the appetizer, octopus "in Panissa" ($10). The octopus is very tender and sitting in a garlicky, chunky sauce of chickpeas. This time we also tried the smoked eggplant "Sformato" ($6), which was basically an eggplant puree over ricotta cheese. It was also delicious. None of the pastas were jumping out at me, so I tried the pork Saltimbocca ($16). It was okay, I think I would stick to the pastas.
