The High Italian Style

INSIEME (777 7th Ave @ 51st St.)


After reading NYMag's "Best of New York" issue I had to see for myself if this place really was one of the best new restaurants/best lasagna in town. Located mid-town, the restaurant is super stylish and sleek, and full of the older-business-crowd types. I can see this being a great choice for a formal/business meal.
Mastermind chefs Marco Canora and Paul Grieco came up with a philosophy of bringing together the "old world and the new world" at Insieme, evident in the menu itself, which has a 'traditional' side and then a 'contemporary' one.
I ordered the lasagna (of course!). Surprisingly light and airy for a dish that is known to be heavy. The spinach pasta in the lasagna is made fresh everyday, pretty damn kool.
This was one of the best lasagnas I've had, although not the best. I think that title varies according to a person's preference and mood for either an intense cheesy lasagna or a more delicate version such as this (and for that side of the lasagna scale, this is definitely the winner). So Garfield of me, but c'mon, lasagna's a serious topic.

Amuse bouche

Lasagna Verde alla Bolognese
(spinach pasta with bechamel and meat ragu)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9chamel_sauce



Gelato
(from top: vanilla, bourbon-chestnut, and gingerbread spice)

Craft-ing the Sandwich

'WICHCRAFT (60 8th St. @ Broadway)
The one I frequent is in the village by NYU but check the website for their other locations throughout Manhattan. This delish sandwich shoppe focuses on bringing together fresh ingredients and the expertise knowledge of gourmet food. Part of the extended 'Craft' restaurant family by chef Tom Colicchio, 'wichcraft is the quick-fix, affordable child of the bunch.

Love the free wi-fi access. Despite the minimalist appearance, you can get quite cosy at a booth in the back spending hours without feeling the pressure to leave.
Don't forget to pick up a sandwich card after your first sandwich so you can collect stamps with each purchase and get a free one when your card's filled up.
(Random: This one girl working the cashier saw that I had stamps on different ends of the card, and proceeded to stamp all the empty boxes in between due to some OCD complex. Hah, ok then, I was kool with that.)

After trying almost all the 'warm sandwiches' I think my favorite is the "roasted turkey" (w/ avocado, bacon, onion relish and aioli on a ciabatta roll)

Meatloaf With Cheddar (w/ bacon & tomato relish on ciabatta roll)

Slow Roasted Pork (w/ red cabbage, jalepenos, & mustard on ciabatta roll)