Mario Batali's Del Posto NYC




If there is only one restaurant that I am to recommend for lunch in New York, Del Posto would be it. Del Posto is Mario Batali's most superb expression of his love and passion for good Italian cuisine and fine dining. Located on the western edge of the meat packing district, Del Posto is a bit out of the way, but well worth the effort to pursue as it offers an upscale, elegant and memorable dining experience. If you're free during the weekdays, you can enjoy Del Posto a fraction of the price when a generous $29 pre-fixe lunch is offered. It is a deal not to be missed by both visitors and Mahattanites alike.




Walking into Del Posto feels very similar to entering the lobby of a fine hotel with the dark mahoganey panels, elongated marble staircase and grand piano. Elegant, classic and grand. 

As soon as we sat down, we were welcomed by an amuse bouche of gazpacho, arancini with saffron, and a crab filled pastry, each unique and excellent. We particularly enjoyed the aranicini or risotto balls which were rice woven with delicate strands of creamy cheese and deep fried to a fantastic crisp. If there is one recommendation I would make to Del Posto on this amuse bouche, it would be to cut the salt a notch in the crab pastry, which would take it from good to great.

It is not common for me to comment on the house bread, however given the exceptional quality I must note how much we enjoyed sampling each of the oven fresh crisp and crusty breads. Accompanying the basket of warm heavenly loaves was a small plate of butter and a plate of lardo, which is whipped pork fat with salt that had hints of nutty pine rustic flavors. It was pure indulgence. 


For an appetizer my husband chose the carne crudo, which is a wagyu beef tartare with truffled salsa, parmigiano-reggiano and shaved porcini. The combination is unique, creative, decadent with luxurious flavors and tender textures. We agreed this was the best dish of the entire lunch. $15 supplement.


For my appetizer, I chose Lidia's lobster salad alla Catalana, which featured large chunks of lobster meat in a moderately spiced red sauce with ivory white hearts of palm. This is quite an impressive dish with the sweetness of the fleshy lobster highlighting the focus on quality ingredients. I think I would have liked the hearts of palm sliced thinner just so that the crunchy texture doesn't distract from the tenderness of the luxurious lobster. Nonetheless, this was a very good appetizer. $10 supplement.



My husband chose the Garganelli Verdi al Ragu Bolognese, a homemade spinach pasta in a meat sauce. This is a comforting classic dish that is elevated by the quality of the pasta, which was firm, adding a good bite to the meaty sauce. 


For my entree I chose the seared duck breast with apician spices, warm apricots & salt baked endive. The duck was meltingly tender and flavorful, and paired well with the sweetness of the dried apricots. The baked endives also added a pleasant contrast in texture to silky duck meat. This was the second best dish of the lunch.


For dessert, I chose the butterscotch semifreddo melon agrumata, crumbled sbrisolona and milk jam. This was a spectacular dessert with a variety of textures from the firm creamy semifreddo to tender pieces of fruit and crunch of the sbrisolona. 


My husband chose Lidia’s sweet pea cake made with local strawberries & strawberry gelato, which was yet another incredible dessert with a gelato that offered intense summer strawberry flavor infused with what tasted like exotic lemon verbena. This dessert may be worth visiting Del Posto alone.


At the end of the meal, a cheese grater is brought to the table holding petit fours which consisted of: chocoloate covered lollipops filled with olive oil gelato, bomboloni which are small doughnuts filled with vanilla orange cream, crunchy candied grapefruit, and polenta crostata. Much like the basket of bread and amuse bouche, it is evident the focus on quality and detail dedicated to creating a lasting impression in each bite.

Del Posto
85 10th Avenue
NY, 10011
(212) 497-8090

Other New York restaurants that I recommend:
Le Bernardin
Eleven Madison Park
Gramercy Tavern
Bar Jamon
Ippudo's

47 comments:

Deana Sidney said...

This sounds like a great place for lunch, Christine.. I still have never been...$29 lunch is quite an inducement! This sweet pea cake really has my interest up since a friend was just over the moon about a sweet pea flan at Babbo in Rome... time to think about peas in a whole new way. Sounds like a wonderful time... maybe a girls lunch one of these days!

Angie's Recipes said...

The restaurant looks really fancy...like especially the cheese grater with petit fours.

Belinda @zomppa said...

That cheese grater is so neat! The house bread is always a good indicator of how good a meal is....

Simply Life said...

wow, what a great meal and place! I love all the little extra touches!

Simply Life said...

wow, what a great meal and place! I love all the little extra touches!

Joanne said...

What a fantastic review!

This is definitely going on my list of NYC restaurants to eat in...I wonder if they are participating in restaurant week..

Pam said...

What a fantastic meal! It all looks delicious and I want to visit Mario's restaurant. He is definitely a favorite chef and I can imagine how great your meal was.

OysterCulture said...

Oh my goodness, the entire experience just sounds wonderful. I'm not sure I could even pick out a favorite. What a great way to enjoy lunch with the husband!

TKW said...

That's it! You've convinced me that I must go there! That tartare sealed the deal!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

Not sure if New York is in the cards in the near future but Mario's place sounds exceptional and well worth a visit.

Penny said...

Mario sure knows how to make a restaurant work. We went to his casual restaurant Otto when we were in NY last Fall and it was great! Beautiful pictures.

Chef E said...

I am forwarding this to hubby- one of his fondest (he still brings it up when he hears crudo) memories was another Mario restaurant- so this is on the list!

Great photos girl!

Asha @ FSK said...

Guess what I did?! As soon as I read this post, i sent a mail to hub telling him we are going soon! Looks like you had a fabulous time!!!

Momo said...

looks amazing!thanks for sharing!

Cool Lassi(e) said...

Lovely dessert(last picture). Loved the first picture cause the pedestals are very eye-catching.

nancy at good food matters said...

Thank you for sharing such a stunning meal with us.
Another Batali treasure, from start to finish. The sweet pea cake/strawberry gelato in sheer genius.

Unknown said...

Lovely pictures! The food looks fantastic too -I'm sure my husband would order that wagyu beef one.

We're such fans of Batali (loved B&B in Vegas). Thinking of trying Babbo too when we go to NYC

eatingRD said...

wow, what an experience! That is my kind of meal :) I have heard about that lardo. I love duck and those desserts look wonderful! Thanks for sharing.

Diva That Ate NY said...

That looks amazing! I've been "banned" from Del Posto by a very dear friend who is a captain there. But he only prefers that I don't come when he is working because he doesn't like to wait on his friends -- fair enough. However, he does not work lunch so I must go there for lunch YUM!!!

Lori said...

Lovely meal! My husband and I would both go for the duck. It sounds delicious and I would imagine the atmosphere is outstanding.

Cristie said...

What a great post! I don't get to NY often enough, but when I do I'm looking for "the best lunch in town" and you've answered the question here. Thank you!

redmenace said...

Every single morsel looks delicious! Thanks for sharing.

And, PS, I also scrutinize the house bread in every restaurant!

Magic of Spice said...

Beautiful write up...beautiful photos, and beautiful food!

Stella said...

Nice review, Christine. I love Mario Batali. Any chef that is Italian with red hair is great in my book (smile)!

my spatula said...

love all of mario's restaurants and will definitely be putting this on the to-do list for next time! gorgeous!

El said...

I haven't been to NY in a long time but if I ever return I'll definitely try this restaurant. Great review!

Juliana said...

Oh! I just had dinner and my mouth still watering over the pictures...gorgeous!

A Canadian Foodie said...

Beautiful evening at a warm restaurant. How would you compare it with Babbo?
:)
Valerie

pam said...

The photos are so beautiful and inviting!

bunkycooks said...

This is a beautiful post. The restaurant is so elegant and the food looks fabulous. I would say that $29 would be a fabulous price for your lunch. When we get make to NYC, I will have to put this on a list of to dos!

Mari Nuñez said...

Looks like a wonderful place, the strawberry gelato looks great!

tasteofbeirut said...

Christine

I read a hilarious account of one blogger's meeting with Mario Battali (apparently he was not very friendly); but I must say this review shows an impressive talent and eye for detail! Love the idea of the grater holding petit-fours.

Tasty Trix said...

Though I usually don't order dessert, I think I would have to make an exception for that sweet pea cake, it looks so refreshing! Amazing photos as always!

~Lisa~ said...

You're reviews are so well written and descriptive. Thanks for sharing your experience!

FOODESSA said...

Christine...your wonderful review of Mario's restaurant and the attention to detail was a fabulous read.
It also showed me once more that the saying "don't judge a book by its cover" is spot on. I'll explain...before I had picked up a recipe book of his...I had no clue of who he was. I don't usually pay attention to celebrity chefs. Looking at his persona as he was protrayed on this particular book was not all too attractive...frankly, he looked like a slob (sorry Mario).
I really wondered what it was that was going to interest me from this read.
Moving on...I thouroughly enjoyed his knowledge of Italian cuisine and even learnt a few things along the way.
Your post capped it off for me. His restaurant will definitely have to be placed on my top 5 picks when coming to NYC.
I'll be having the silky tender duck and the yummy sweet pea cake ;o)

Ciao for now and flavourful wishes,
Claudia

Cathy said...

Your vivid review makes me want to start planning a trip to NYC. Mario has such a big personality. It looks like his restaurant reflects him perfectly.

Gera@SweetsFoodsBlog said...

So charming and fancy restaurant - I need to mangiare there!! :))

Cheers,

Gera

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

What a wonderful-looking meal and fantastic restaurant. Now all I need is a trip to New York :)

sweetlife said...

great review, if the bread basket is delish that in itself is a good sign, I love the ragu bolognese, oh and I would love to try the butterscotch semifreddo...

sweetlife

Sook said...

Christine,
All the food you and your husband chose to order looks fantastic. I haven't had most of the dishes you got and I would love to try them someday.

Jen Cheung said...

that is some fine dining!!! love to go there one day and experience fine dining and love how they have a grand piano there :)

have a lovely day

jen

White Hot Oven said...

Beautiful review Christine, I love reading about your meals because you make them sound so appetizing while looking like works of art.

I wish I was free during the week to go to Del Posto, what a wonderful experience!

Kim said...

Del Posto looks like a fabulous place! I always love the way you describe the food and the atmosphere with such vivid details! All of the food looks superb. This is definitely a place that I will remember in case I ever make it up to NYC.

Unknown said...

This is a place I'd love to visit one day. Thanks for taking us along with you :).
I love how they serve the petit fours at the end.
Have a wonderful weekend.
*kisses* HH

Emily said...

Sounds like an amazing lunch deal. I love watching Mario on the Iron Chef, and it looks like his restaurant is equally impressive!

Carolyn Jung said...

A cheese grater that holds sweets? How cool is that! I ate at Babbo last year when I visited NY. Can't wait to go back to try Del Posto now.

mina said...

I was just in NYC and we ended up choosing Momofuku as our 'splurge' restaurant just because of the whole reservation issue. There are just too many good restaurants in New York!