I am a big fan of Chef Mario Batali and used to watch him on Iron Chef America. I love his spirit and creativity; he does not seems, at least on TV, to be one of these Chefs who think they are better than everybody else. What he did with Checf Bastianich at Eataly is phenomenal, bringing the best of Italian food in the heart of NYC!
So, this time, we went to Otto Enoteca & Pizzeria. The place is big, with three main rooms. The first one reminds me of Eataly with the high tables where you can have some delicious food:
We sat at the main dining room, that was very classy but had a rustic feel to it.
Another similarity with Eataly is the way they serve bread, in brown paper, with some delicious olive oil:
Interestingly, they played some Italian opera, that sometimes was a bit too aggressive for my ears, but quite funny considering that I could easily imagine Chef Batali singing it while cooking.
- Eggplant Caponatina: eggplants with tomatoes and pine nuts.
- Funghi Misti: sauteed mushrooms.
- Brussel sprouts.
Then, we got the Quattro Formaggi pizza:
The cheeses are: mozzarella, taleggio (one of my favorites!), cacio and ricotta. As you can see on the photo, the way they serve it is different from other pizzerias: usually, the different cheeses are mixed. Here, they stand on their own quarter of pizza! I was at first a bit disappointed as I love when the pizza is overflown by cheese that are mixed together. But, then, I was able to try each of them and it was great! My favorite was of course the taleggio, then the cacio, the ricotta and the mozzarella. The pizza sauce was delicious with a rich tomato taste, and the thin crust of the pizza was splendid.
Last, I ordered a hazelnut hot chocolate with whipped cream and shortbread (was in fact a biscotti):
I loved it! I was scared at first that the hazelnut would overpower the chocolate, but it was not the case: the rich flavor of the cocoa came through and was really comforting. This is definitely a great hot cocoa!
We had a great lunch at Otto Enoteca & Pizzeria: they have a large choice of antipasti that are a nice option for sharing and I would probably go back to try some of their homemade pasta or a different kind of pizza. Note that they offer a large selection of wine and even give some wine classes over the week end. On Tuesdays, they sometimes host wine and cheese events!
Enjoy (I did)!
And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
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