Worth the wait, Rosemary's

Waiting to be seated is THEWORSTTHINGEVER.
On any off night, a night that isn't a Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Brunch meal, Rosemary's is PACKED. The wait is, at the very least, one hour unless you plan on having dinner at 6pm.
But, you know what, it's completely worth it.
The food is fresh, it's light, and it tastes healthy. Nothing is soaked in oil and one doesn't feel heavy after eating a carbo-loaded meal. The menu is modern, the ingredients are flavorful and good quality and there is also great variety on the menu for vegetarian folks like me. 

Just get there way ahead of meal rush hours to put your name on the list. They'll take your name and cell and then text you when your table is ready. I'd recommend leaving and going for a drink in the neighborhood until they text you saying the table is ready.

Counter Clockwise:
Rosemary (Right) and Stracchino Cheese (Left) Focacces, Tuna Sashimi with Chick Peas, Eggplant Caponata, Celery Caesar Salad

Eggplant Caponata 

Celery Caesar Salad

Linguine with chili, lemon and parmesean

Good For: Dinner, Brunch, Groups, Dates (its dimly lit), Not looking to Break the Bank

Rosemary's 
18 Greenwich
(Corner of West 10th)
212-647-1818
http://rosemarysnyc.com/

UVA

As a newly established Upper East Sider I am always searching for good neighborhood eats. For the most part, Upper East Side spots aren't at the forefront of the review books so doing some individual research to have on my repertoire becomes quite handy.

A couple of weeks ago I passed by Uva one Sunday afternoon only to notice how unbelievably packed it was. The Upper East side is not like Soho, where EVERYTHING is packed during Brunch hours. So if there is a place that is packed, in my mind, it must be worth the visit...

I also MUST thank my cousin from Beyond My Recipes for scoping it out with me the first time and then revisiting Uva another two times to confirm our recommendation.

Food

Italian/Pasta

Ugh, yes, its Italian. And I must apologize for the Italian posting overload. I promise it will subside after this one!
Of course, the Upper East couldn't get enough of its Italian restaurants. Sorry, I just have to acknowledge the Upper East Side stereotypes. 

To start, there were LOTS of options for a vegetarian, as their usually are at Italian places. The arugula salad with shaved Parmesan was quite tasty and the salmon entree was pretty good but a bit on the chewy side. I wouldn't come back for the fish. It's more of a pasta and pizza spot. The return-worthy draw was the focaccia appetizer. It comes as a mini pizza with artichokes as the base layer, topped with mozzarella and marinara sauce. The combination may sound like it shouldn't really be a combination at all but it was molded perfectly together onto the rounded foccacia and each bite was smooth and flavorful. Extremely unexpected, and yet, totally worth going back and ordering that very item as an entree instead of as a shared appetizer.
The olives weren't anything too special, they were green and black olives with pits. They were salty and for some reason had that canned black olive taste. I wasn't so into that.
Overall, nothing  at Uva was too heavy and the portions are just the right size.

Overall the food was pretty good Italian and worth the return visit if one is lacking in a reliable spot on the Upper East. Just an FYI, I will NEVER say something is "pretty good Italian" unless it really is. If I wouldn't send my father, the French food snob, then I wouldn't use the latter phrase and send you there either.

Uva is an easy crowd pleaser. Anyone, picky or not, will be satisfied here. 

It's no Il Buco but its great for the Upper East. 

Ambiance

Rustic wooden tables, homey, warm and dark lighting (see below).

Its noisy, mixed scene where any age would blend in easily. 

Resos & Wait Time

I came in on a rainy Monday evening around 8pm with no reservation and was seated immediately. It was pretty busy with almost no open tables. I would say it would have probably been a bit more difficult if it hadn't been a Monday and hadn't been raining. I'd make a reservation on a Thurs, Fri or Sat night. It it gets PACKED.

(FYI, busy is always good. It means high turnover. High turnover = fresh ingredients).

Good For: Dinner, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner with Friends/Parents/Boyfriend/Girlfriends, Low Key Date Spot

Location

1486 2nd Ave

(between 77th St & 78th St) 

(212) 472-4552

http://www.uvanyc.com

Downtown Post-Sandy Support, Il Buco

 This post is dedicated to one of my all time favorite spots which also happens to be located in a Manhattan region that lost almost a week's worth of business due to Hurricane Sandy power outages, flooding and damages.

Its funny how sometimes the best places are the least hyped about and the newer, trendier places are all the talk but without the quality cred to legitimately back them up. On Thursday night we went to this pretty decent spot on the Upper East and got to talking about how Il Bucco is some of the best pasta in the city. Being that downtown restaurants need our support for their loss of business, I felt an overwhelming urge to write about Il Buco instead.

Don't confuse this Il Buco with it's newer sister restaurant Il Buco Alimentari that I've already reviewed. 

This is the original restaurant and its fabulous.

Food

Oh. my. lord.
 I am giving away one of my best spots.
The food impresses. And, anyone you bring here will never complain about it.
Food snobs, restaurant and food lovers alike will never have a bad thing to say about the food, the service or the ambiance. Ever.
It has never failed me in all my years of taking different groups of people, Manhattanites, French and LA cousins, English family friends, as well as recommending it to others.

The menu changes seasonally and the kale Caesar salad was not on the menu when I first ate at Il Buco, (it is now a must order). I believe they age their own cheese as well but don't quote me on this, I cant remember. Regardless, the ricotta is spongy and fluffy and the olives are a must order as well. I'd recommend doing the olive oil tasting as well. Its fun and you are given the opportunity to taste good quality olive oils and differentiate various olive oil flavors. All of the pastas are made fresh. The ravioli is not heavy or starchy but airy, thin and delicate. The gnocchi isn't heavy either but fresh and just the perfect portion size for a usually heavy entree.

For dessert its all about the panna cotta with balsamic reduction. Yes, the combination may sound a bit odd, but its quite the immaculate combination. The 10 year balsamic reduction compliments the panna cotta so perfectly and the mix of the two flavors make for a surprisingly smooth palate cleanser at the end of a meal. 

Kale Caesar Salad

Panna Cotta with Balsamic Reduction 

Gnocchi
all photos are courtesy of Yelp.com 

Il Buco may be an Italian restaurant but, you'll never leave feeling stuffed or heavy. On the contrary, you'll feel as if you have just finished a healthy, clean and satisfying meal. It is with this feeling that one knows they've eaten true Italian cooking. 

Ambiance

Its quite rustic, has lots of relics and antiques hanging from the walls and ceilings. There is a full wine celler in the basement and, like Alimentari, the tables are communal but separated by enough space that the table sharing with another party goes unnoticed.

The crowd is a bit older, but quite eclectic. Il Buco is surrounded, literally within a one block radius, by all the trendy downtown spots (Peels, Gemma, Il Buco Alimentari, Acme, The Smile etc.) and yet, its the best of all of them. Without question. 

Wait Time & Resos

You MUST have a reservation and it must be in advance or there is almost no shot you are being seated the night of. 

Good For: Family, Friends, Parents, In-Laws, Family Visiting From Out of Town, Birthdays

If you have a group, a family, or anyone that you need to take out to dinner, I'd ALWAYS recommend Il Buco. The food is always reliable and there is never anything to complain about. Just MAKE SURE TO RESERVE.

Location

47 Bond St.

New york

(212) 533-1932

http://www.ilbuco.com

Rubirosa

I cannot count how many times I've hit up this joint. Yes, I do admit that it was partially due to its locality while I was living in the neighborhood but more importantly due to its reliability. Rubirosa has never failed. I have even had a fresh Rubirosa pie at a food fair last week, made in a portable brick oven, and it was still good quality. At the actual restaurant the staff were friendly and the food is always light and fresh.

Food

Pizza/Pasta/Italiano

I'll get right to it!

Their salads are all great. I always go for the fennel salad that has thin shavings of the tastiest pecorino cheese. The Rubirosa and all their other salads are just as good although I'd go for anything with parmesan (or pecorino) shavings. The mozerella sticks are to die for and so unbelievably fresh! The cheese literally oozes out of the freshly fried stick, you just cannot get enough! The pastas are made fresh and the whole wheat fettuccine is my #1 rec. Rubirosa tomato sauce (served with the mozz sticks, on the pizza and with the pastas) is unique to their establishment. It's fresh, flavorful, so light and so airy. It's one of the things that keeps me coming back for more.

And of course, we can't forget about the pizzas. I must preface by saying that we are currently living in a city busting with specialty pizza joints and no, Rubirosa is not the top of the line pizza out there, and it is not the place to seek out if you are a pizza connoisseur who only stands for the best. However, if you are looking for more of a good night out with friends/family or whoever and good food to go along with that then the pizzas will serve their purpose. No one will be dissatisfied. The pizzas are good, tasty and nothing to complain about. They are all thin crust (they've progressively gotten thinner since their opening) and I am a big fan of the Margareta and the Pesto pies. (you can also do a splitsky of half marg and half pesto).

Ambiance

Dark lighting and pretty cool scene. No one is ever over dressed but everyone looks good and is, for the most part, pretty cool. I've gone in jeans and simple heels and I've showed up straight from work. I've come here with my parents, with friends, with cousins and on a date. Every single time it has never failed me and there were positive and some raving (my extremely food-pretentious dad) feedback along with it.

Wait Time & Resos

You need resos for the evening but early dinner is usually ok without. There is no need for a lunch resos either. Just dinner.

Good for: Dinner, Lunch, Cool and Casual, Trendy, Picky Eaters, Intimate Date, Not Too Fancy,

Rubirosa

235 Mulberry St

(212) 965-0500 http://rubirosanyc.com

Il Buco Alimentari

Food

Not the greatest vegetarian selection. There's only one fish option which comes as a whole fish that they then fillet, and two pasta options. The pastas are tasty but not unbelievable. The crispy artichoke app is fabulous and worth ordering two portions of, and they aren't cheap on each serving either. All the sides are good and overall the food is good. Nothing amazing and nothing to write home about. Honestly its a trendy, downtown spot with acceptably good food. Nothing more, nothing less.

Ambiance

Bright lighting people! If you're going on a first date and don't want anything too bright, skip it.

It's good for dinner with 4-6 others. Most of the tables are shared communal tables separated by a nice amount of space along with a vase of flowers. You really don't feel or see the group next too you and I find communal tables intimate, and inviting anyhow. You dont need to be decked out too come here, it has a nice homey vibe. But yes, its downtown and yes the people are young-ish or older and very bobo (bourgeois bohemian... I'll use this term a lot so get acquainted).

Good for: Double dates, dinner with friends, dinner with the fam, something trendy-ish.

Wait Time & Resos

You need a reservation and they do make you wait a solid 15-20 once you arrive on a busy night, as I did. You need to be in the hostess's face or its going to continuously be "another two minutes." Honestly, I find this common approach extremely annoying. Either seat me now or tell me its actually going to be 15 min. Luckily Alimentari also offers ice cream, a full bar, cured meats and cheeses in their "store front" so the wait doesn't feel too long.

 Il Buco Alimentari

53 Great Jones St. 

(212) 837-2622

http://www.ilbucovineria.com/