Babbo

Babbo Restaurant Review:

The Old Coach House, a New York restaurant landmark from the '60s, was transformed into this modern Italian trattoria. Everything, from the tiny bar where Italian wines are poured to the upstairs dining room with yellow walls and pretty flowers, is altogether inviting. Babbo is a strange hybrid of a restaurant: haute Italian fare in an elegant setting that blasts rock music from the speakers. But people keep coming back for the food, not for the music. Adventurous guests can try the special pasta tasting menu --- five pastas followed by two desserts (talk about a winning formula) --- which might include black tagliatelle with charred corn and Castelmagno cheese or garganelli with sautéed mushrooms. (A traditional tasting menu is available as well.) Other creative items are the charred beef tongue with black kale and white beans and the barbecued squab with roasted beet "farrotto" and porcini mustard. A tamer option is the pillowy gnocchi with juicy braised oxtail. Finish with a savory saffron panna cotta with seasonal accompaniments or the olive oil cake with olive oil gelato. The wine list is constantly changing to showcase each of Italy’s winemaking regions.