Editor Pick
Otto Restaurant Enoteca Pizzeria
- June 8, 2006
- Rated 5 of 5 by
quirine from Brooklyn, New York
I went to Otto at 6:30pm on a Tuesday night and it was empty. I was surprised this was even a Mario Batali restaurant. It quickly filled up as time went on, and my brother-in-law tried to reserve on a Friday night and the hostess said, 5pm or 10:30pm. Moral of the story, call for reservations between Thursday night and Sunday night.
The restaurant basically looks like a fancy Olive Garden. It was a very comfortable dining room with farmer-like sturdy tables and chairs. The other people there seemed to be locals with children, bigger parties, and tourists who like to go to the restaurants of famous chefs. The waitress was very friendly and definitely chosen for her ability to wow the tourists. She reminded me of the people working at Epcot Center in Disney World.
When you sit down, you get a bunch of sealed breadsticks and a crusty loaf of bread wrapped in paper. I ordered the cheese plate (oh my god was that good!) and I received three dipping sauces, cherry brandy, spicy peach, and honey. I don't know if those sauces come with the bread or with the cheese, since everything came out at different times. In any event, that was definitely the highlight of the meal. We selected a goat cheese, a pecorino, and the taleggio, all really wonderful. Don't be afraid to get help from the waitress if you're not up on cheeses, she offered help right away. We also ordered a small marinara pizza, note it doesn't come with cheese, and spaghetti carbonara. The waitress claimed that the pizza is Mario's favorite, but I can't say I was overwhelmingly impressed. It was tasty, but it's no Lombardi's. The carbonara was SO peppery and salty, but decent otherwise. The prices are right and the portions are small enough so that you can order a dessert or an appetizer. With dinner, instead of tackling the Ginormous wine list, I went for the house beer which I found to be quite nice. Overall, I'd definitely go here again and try a few more dishes...and definitely order a bigger cheese plate next time!!!
UPDATE: I've been back twice since I wrote this review, and I have to say I'll be going back a lot. They were late in bringing our order of pasta ala norma (penne with eggplant, tomato sauce and melted creamy ricotta) and offered free dessert and coffee. We selected the Olive Oil gelato with passion fruit granita, strawberries and sea salt. Sounds funky, but the sourness of the passion fruit with the sweet cream of the gelato combined with sweet strawberries and a touch of sea salt was delicious. They were so nice and really made what was supposed to be a quick bite into a nice romantic 3 course dinner.
From journal Manhattan: What You Can't Find in a Guidebook!
Editor Pick
Best Italian Pizza: Otto
- December 17, 2003
- Rated 5 of 5 by
ext212 from New York, New York
Otto Enoteca and Pizzeria
1 Fifth Avenue on 8th Street
New York, NY, 10003
212/995-9559
Mario Batali's latest effort is with pizza--real Italian pizza, not baked but "grilled"; super thin crust, not cheese-filled (gross!). Otto means 'eight' in Italian and all the pizza is divided into two groups, Otto and Classica. Otto for those who want toppings that are on the adventurous side like shaved fennel, porcini mushrooms, and smelly Taleggio cheese. Classica, obviously, has the classics like marinara and pepperoni.
The wine list is loooong, so this place deserves to be called an enoteca. You can always ask your server for the perfect wine to match. If you're not a wine drinker (why?!) opt for New York's finest--no, not a man in uniform, but their cute nickname for tap water.
When you arrive, (no reservations needed unless you're a party of six or more) the maitre d' gives you a small piece of paper with the name of an Italian town. Sit at the bar and wait for your town name to be placed on the board, just like a romantic train station. Try not to order the sumptious prosciutto or the excellent eggplant caponatina--leave room for the Otto pizzas and come back at your next visit and order all the antipasti you skipped the first time!
From journal Eat in New York City but don't let New York City eat you!