Little Shoe

Scarpetta......I have been waiting for a while to visit and had my wish granted last night (Thank You Charlie!). An intimate dinner celebrating my birthday! What an amazing treat! Let me tell you all about it......

First off it was an incredibly delicious and satisfying meal, all I expected and then some. However, if you're looking for a quiet setting, this ain't it. This place is loud, loud, loud and was packed from the sidewalk seating to the wine vault. Good thing our table for two was small or we would've had to BBM each other.

We started off with our wine selection. I am a lover of all things wine, but God knows I haven't sampled every one out there....YET. This is why I take full advantage of the Sommelier, I told him my preferences and price point and presto..he suggested a delicious Altariva Valdadige 2005 Enantio......absolutely perfect!

Next came a warm bread basket filled with freshly baked crusty bread, rolls and stromboli along with a dipping trio of orange infused olive oil, caponata and marscapone. My favorite....the caponata. Second....the stromboli. It smelled so good and tasted even better. Did I mention all the bread and pasta is made fresh in Scarpetta?

We decided take our waiters suggestion. Scarpetta encourages you to share appetizers and pastas. They also serve appetizers as entrees or pastas as appetizers. So feel free to mix it up!

First we shared an appetizer of Braised Short Ribs served over corn and carrot farro, prepared risotto style. Big plus for me, because farro is one of my favorites. This dish was amazing, from the creaminess of the farro to the tenderness of the short rib, we were off to a great start.

Next we split an order of Spaghetti with Tomato and Basil. It was the simplest of dishes with very straightforward taste and by far the course I enjoyed the most. Who the heck knew spaghetti could taste like this?? Major points for providing a fork and a spoon! The only way to eat spaghetti as far as I'm concerned.
The pasta was as it should be, al dente, the perfect bite and simply delicious. Every fork full was a melding of pasta, tomato and fresh basil. Everything you need is in that perfect little pasta dish, don't you dare spoil the experience by adding anything to it. A word of warning, make sure you save some bread so you can sop-up the sauce. This dish alone will have me back at Scarpetta very, very soon......

Our selection of entrees were of the land and the sea. He chose the Sicilian Spiced Duck Breast prepared medium-rare and served with root vegetables and caramelized endive. A very generous portion that looked as amazing as it smelled. I'm not a huge enough fan of duck to eat an entire order and will usually taste it, but this time I didn't. Suffice it to say that his plate was clean in record time....

I chose the Branzino. A delicious fillet with perfectly crispy skin. It was served over clams, potatoes and truffles. Totally decadent, a total birthday queen preparation. I was floored and yes I even shared it....

Now you would think that after all this great food and wine we'd have one of the incredible desserts offered on the menu. Nope....he wanted a cannoli. Good thing Mona Lisa was open until 9pm and we made it there with 7 minutes to spare!