Gemma is an absolutely gorgeous restaurant inside the Bowery Hotel. Come here when you want to impress someone.

The portions are on the smaller side, so this is the perfect time to order a bunch of stuff to share. We had three people eat all the food below and it was the perfect amount.

If I had to pick something that wasn’t very impressive, it would be the watercress salad. Otherwise, everything was delicious.

Save room for dessert, because that nutella calzone was insane. Perfect to share. If you’re dining alone, and you order this?….well, even I would give you the “fatty” side-eye and pass some judgment. Sorry, I would. It’s that big. And I’m kinda mean like that.

I would definitely come here for dinner and skip brunch, it’s just too pretty here, at night, to miss.

335 Bowery
New York, NY 10003
b/t 2nd St & Bond St
East Village, NoHo
(212) 505-7300
theboweryhotel.com/dining.php

Crostini
Fig and Gorgonzola 6
Burrata and Artichoke 7

Watercress, Pears, Almonds, Gorgonzola 9

Truffled Polenta Fries 9

Cappellacci di Zucca butternut squash, brown butter and sage 16

SALTIMBOCCA ALLA ROMANA
veal cutlet topped with proscuitto di Parma and sage
with sauteed wild mushrooms
29

Calzone di Nutella
calzone filled with nutella and ricotta 16

Otto is Mario Batali’s casual and bustling Italian (shocker) restaurant located on an unassuming street a block or two above Washington Square Park.

A few things to note.

The place is enormous. Looked like it could seat 500 people.

The place was packed on a Tuesday night. Ever seat. But getting a ressie same day on OpenTable was not a problem.

The place is loud. First dates could be tough. So could last dates. Don’t bring someone with an accent you can’t understand. The conversations that ensue will be highly irritating.

The pastas are awesome and inexpensive. Focus on them.

The salads are fine.

The Brussels Sprouts are AWESOME! Get those.

The pizza is AWFUL! Don’t bother. They reminded me of if I were to add sauce and barely any cheese to straight up cardboard. However, I don’t mind bad pizzas, so we still ate it.

The desserts were all really good, gelato based. Especially the Black and White and Pumpkin Copetta. Not sure what the hell a Copetta is (maybe an Italian Gelato sundae??) but it’s good and you need to order one.

We had a really fun dinner at Otto, bad pizza aside. Goes to show what a difference endless bottles of wine being ordered, can make.

1 5th Ave
New York, NY 10003
b/t Washington Mews & 8th St
Greenwich Village
(212) 995-9559
ottopizzeria.com

Complimentary Table Bread

Baby Spinach, Ricotta Salata & Truffle Honey – $10

Otto Chopped Salad – $11

Brussels Sprouts & Vin Cotto – $6

Quattro Formaggi
tomato, mozzarella, taleggio, cacio, ricotta – $14

Pumpkin Fiore – fresh pasta
butternut squash, brown butter, sage, hazelnuts, ricotta affumicata – $16

Goat Cheese Agnolotti – fresh pasta
lemon butter, fennel pollen – $16

Pasta alla Norma
tomato, roasted eggplant, basil, bufala ricotta – $12

Spaghetti alla Carbonara
pancetta, scallions, black pepper, egg – $12

3 Cheeses – $13
Coach Triple Cream
Pecorino Fossa
Gorgonzola

Guinness Coppetta
guinness & dark chocolate gelati, chocolate cake, caoffee bourbon sauce, candied peanuts – $11

Black & White
milk chocolate chip & crème fraîche gelati, hazelnut croccante, chocolate sauce, caramel crema – $11

Pumpkin Copetta – Pumpkin Gelato, Spiced Ginger Cake, Toffee Sauce, Candied Pecans, Marscapone Crema – $11

Part of the Happy Cooking Hospitality Group (Fedora, Joseph Leonard, Bar Sardine), Montmarte is a really cute French bistro in Chelsea that offers some very tasty brunch options.

Today we ordered the French dip sandwich and the artichoke toast with poached eggs.

The French dip was delicious for a few reasons (not counting the amazing fries). The rustic bread was delicious! Usually French dips come on a spongy, flavorless roll.

The artichoke toast packed a lot of flavor for the portion being on the small side. If you’re starving, order something else. If your appetite is less ravenous, order this.

The backyard patio is gorgeous. Definitely a spot to impress pretty much anyone. Try to avoid coming here in the winter, so you can sit back there.

Ok, I don’t really have a lot more to say about this place, except I would definitely return. That’s always a good thing, right?

158 8th Ave
New York, NY 10011
b/t 18th St & 17th St
Chelsea
(646) 596-8838
montmartrenyc.com

Pacific Coast Highway – $13

Artichoke Toast w/ Poached Eggs – $15

French Dip Au Jus – $18