Revisiting New York Restaurant Favorites

Zucca al forno at Eataly's Le Verdure

A trip to New York City always means a chance for unforgettable food. Before we go, I always research new and interesting places for us to try. Every trip it seems we find a new place to love.

And herein lies a problem: if we're always going to new places, then we're not making time for our old favorites. And over the years we've racked up a lot of favorites. So on a recent trip, rather than pack the itinerary with new bites, we made room to revisit a few place that if we lived in the city would probably count as as regulars.

It's not entirely accurate to suggest that Vezzo Thin Crust Pizza is an old favorite. Technically, this was our first visit. But we've been major fans of its sister restaurant Posto Thin Crust Pizza for years. Since Vezzo was closer to our hotel, we decided to see whether Vezzo's take on our favorite Posto pizza, the Salsiccia Dolce, was as consistently good. We were not disappointed. Vezzo's pizza was virtually identical--the same crackery thin crust, spiced sausage, sweet caramelized onion and ribbons of fresh basil.

Lupa's mafaldine pasta with pork ragu and pecorino

When it comes to great pasta dishes, Lupa Osteria Romana is unparalleled. We've been Lupa fans for years ever since a coworker turned me on to this cozy Greenwich Village outpost in the Batali-Bastianch restaurant group. Although I'm happy to order any of the seasonal pasta selections on their menu, the night we popped in, Lupa was offering an incredible pasta special: wavy mafaldine pasta served with a hearty pork ragu and topped with shredded pecorino. We also enjoyed our starter salad of black kale, apple and warm pancetta.

Le Verdure's grilled bitter greens with pine nuts, currants and aged balsamic vinegar

Invariably, we end up having some pretty rich meals while we're in New York. So we like to balance them out with healthy, green lunches when possible. Eataly's vegetable-focused restaurant, Le Verdure, is an ideal place for this. Meat lovers take note: we always feel sated leaving Le Verdure. During our recent visit, we loved the crumb-coated roasted butternut squash with pumpkin seeds (see photo at top) and the grilled bitter greens with pine nuts, currants and balsamic vinegar. The insalata tricolore (tricolor salad) added additional freshness. Of course we also couldn't stop eating Eataly's great bread, served with olive oil so fresh it's quite peppery.

Next time we're in New York, I'm sure we'll visit some new spots, but it's nice to see old favorites that continue to excel. See also the previous coverage of Posto, Lupa and Eataly.

Eataly Le Verdure, 200 5th Avenue (on the Broadway side of Madison Square Park between 23rd and 24th), New York, N.Y. (Flatiron District). (212) 229-2560

Lupa Osteria Romana, 170 Thompson Street (between Bleecker and Houston), New York City (Greenwich Village). (212) 982-5089. Reservations: Open Table.

Vezzo Thin Crust Pizza, 178 Lexington Avenue (at 31st Street), New York, N.Y. (Murray Hill). (212) 839-8300.