PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

The debate over what is New York's oldest restaurant rages on, and Barbetta (est. 1906) is in the thick of that debate. But there is no debate over Barbetta's sustained excellence during that period. The first, and still one of the few, New York restaurants to serve cuisine from Piemonte (the Piedmont), Italy's northwestern-most region, Barbetta's food, like the restaurant's sumptuous decor, is richly elegant. This is far from your typical red-sauce joint. At Barbetta, if you dine in the autumn or winter, you just might have the pleasure of white truffles, flown in from Piemonte, and shaved over your already decadent gnochetti ai formaggi, freshly made, delicate gnocchi in an unforgettable cheese sauce, or the stunning creation of an edible quail's nest filled with fonduta cheese and surrounded by three tiny, speckled quail's eggs. On the menu you can choose from one of the restaurant's 1906 creations like the bolliti misti, a Piemontesi specialty, a mix of boiled meats and broth served from an antique silver cart, but for a meal this unique, you must order 48 hours in advance. If you just can't go to an Italian restaurant without ordering something in tomato sauce, you won't go wrong with the 1906-creation tajarin, strands of homemade pasta in a simple but perfectly done tomato-basil sauce. Barbetta also features an impressive Italian wine list and, in the warmer months, one of the city's most romantic outdoor gardens. Though this is a Theater District restaurant and many come for the pre-theater prix-fixe, Barbetta is best experienced at a relaxed, leisurely pace.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's New York City 2008, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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