Zampa

Zampa is a glorified wine bar. Don't get me wrong, wine bars are pretty glorious to begin with - what with their romantic ambiances and airs of refinement even as you get completely schnockered - but Zampa takes the idea a step further by offering a somewhat substantial, Italian-based menu. Here, you can still order enough vino (by the glass, half bottle, or full bottle) to make your date question whether or not you have a drinking problem, but you may save enough face to wrangle a second date by soaking up the booze with a full meal. It will probably be touch and go though until you do.

In addition to mere olives, cheese, and charcuterie plates, Zampa offers several varieties of crostini, panini, antipasti, and...(sadly, not rhyming)...entrees. On a given night, the smaller plates may include fennel and baby arugula salad with orange and parmigiano, roasted shrimp with cannellini, or broccoli rabe. Larger dishes might include oven poached salmon, roasted pork loin, or lasagna bolognese. The crostini are pleasantly heavy on the toppings (such as chicken liver and vin santo, white bean and duck proscuitto, or fresh ricotta with roasted peppers), and the panini are satisfying for their $10 price tag. Desserts are available too, and if the chocolate hazelnut cake is there the night you are, you should just go ahead and order that. Unless you have a nut allergy - in which case, buddy, you should know better.

The wines at Zampa are predominantly Italian, though something unexpected might sneak onto the menu every now and then. You may also order beer or seasonal cocktails - both, if you've had a rough day.

Everything may be enjoyed at the bar, which zig-zags on the left of the room toward the kitchen at the back, or at one of the side-by-side tables, which run the length of the room on the right. The bar is equipped with tall chairs, and table-seating is comprised of one long banquette and many Eames bucket seats - appropriately named on account of their shape and their ability to contain water. I learned this the night a dining companion knocked an entire ice-cold glassful into my lap, and the water effectively pooled beneath me. Yes, inquisitive reader, my jeans were indeed equally effective at sopping it up like a sponge.

Perks of Zampa include takeout, catering, special events (groups of 10 or more require a price-fixed menu, though cocktail event and tasting menus are available for larger parties as well), and (if the website is to be believed, since I haven't personally tried this...YET) Zampa will create a picnic basket for you. Say whuuuuh? I know! It includes six antipasti of your choosing, two beverages, assorted biscotti, the basket, and a blanket. The basket and a blanket? The basket and a blanket. Additionally, you may enjoy prosecco and a crostini while the staff pack it all up.

So head in to Zampa (located about a block from dell'anima) when you and your girls need to gripe about your day over a bottle or three of Verdicchio, when you and your boys want to get the night started before invading the Meatpacking District, or when you're walking by and become intrigued by the segmented pig displayed on the window. My Italian is rusty (read, I've never studied Italian), so "zampa" may or may not mean "animal's foot," and this artwork therefore may or may not make sense. Like your date at the beginning of this post, however, I shall remain noncommittal.

Zampa - 306 West 13th Street, between West 4th Street & 8th Avenue

Union Square Cafe

Twenty five years ago this month, a twenty seven year old Danny Meyer showed up in the New York restaurant scene. You know, the guy who (along with his partners) went on to open Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park, Blue Smoke and Jazz Standard, The Modern (as well as Cafe 2 and Terrace 5) within the MoMA, the relatively new Mailalino, the closing-at-the-end-of-the-year Tabla, and the expanding phenomenon that is the...(pause for effect)...Shake Shack. It all had to start somewhere, and that somewhere is Union Square Cafe.

Mr. Meyer's restaurants fall under the umbrella of his Union Square Hospitality Group, and the name alone gives a clue as to what it is like to dine at his restaurants - the staff is hospitable. Duh. From friendly hostesses to a waitstaff that actually consults the kitchen when you say you have a food allergy, you get the impression everyone is happy to help. Whether or not that's true, I don't know, but I'm fine with the smoke and mirrors.

Ok, so you're here. What can you expect? Well, the Union Square Cafe is a deceptively spacious restaurant comprised of several sections. Upon entering, you stand beneath a soaring ceiling and approach the hostess stand. The main dining room is to the left of this area down a short flight of steps. Back on the entry level, there is space beyond the long bar where tables are tucked around different corners and nooks. Finally, there is a mezzanine at the very rear of the restaurant, which overhangs one of those aforementioned nooks. Framed pictures decorate the main dining room, while a watercolor mural creeps up the back wall toward the mezzanine. The whole space is tied together, however, by hunter green trim. It's the kind of green women named Celerie, Bunny, or Dale have used to decorate the smoking rooms of the husbands they've outlived named Field, Burton, or...Dale. All in all, it's a space that's both casual and buttoned-up. Though jeans may be worn anywhere in New York these days, men might reach for khakis first.

Ok, you're seated and hungry. What do they have? Well, it's predominantly American food with Italian nuances. Thanks to the convenience of the restaurant's location to the farmers' market in Union Square, the menu varies from day to day. You might, however, expect the likes of a puree of cauliflower soup with brown butter and walnuts. Honeycrisp apple and escarole salad with toasted walnuts, rosemary and pecorino. Pan-seared sweetbreads with crosnes, cippolini onion, and a concord grape emulsion. Then there's the pasta, which comes in half and whole portions and may include ricotta gnocchi, saffron pappardelle, butternut squash tortelli, or duck raviolini. Entrees cover grilled pancetta-wrapped shrimp, New Zealand venison loin chop, smoked shell steak, and grilled swordfish with caponata and arugula.

The menu also includes a section called "Weekly Classics," where a different dish is the special each night of the week. Stop by Monday for the Maine lobster and sweet corn risotto with oven-dried tomatoes. Thursday brings the rib-eye for two. Saturday is your night if you are a pork chop fan. No matter what night you go, though, save room for dessert. Greenmarket plum upside down cake with spiced rum ice cream? Yes. Flourless chocolate cake with salted caramel sauce? Sure. Mint semifreddo with brownie pieces and milk chocolate sauce? Can I get a vat of that to go? No? Then we're fighting.

Make a reservation at Union Square Cafe for lunch or dinner, though walk-ins may try their luck for an open table or a spot at the bar. You will want to plan ahead, however, for your son-in-law's birthday, that business meeting with the St. Louis office, or your aunt's visit from Connecticut. Hey, Bunny's got a hankering for some lamb chops.

Union Square Cafe - 21 East 16th Street, between 5th Avenue & Union Square West

il Buco

Il Buco is an Italian/Mediterranean restaurant in NoHo, and it is the epitome of the adjectives so often used to describe places to which people want to return - cozy, rustic, and charming. Illuminated by candlelight and inventive chandeliers, chock full of worn wood, and decorated with hanging copper pots and stacked bottles of wine, the restaurant is a warm haven on a bitterly cold night and an equally enticing establishment on a sweltering summer's evening. You should feel free to swing by on more temperate spring and autumn days too, as it doesn't take extreme weather to enjoy the restaurant's ambiance and more-than-decent food. I promise.

Initially opened as an antique shop in 1994, the space evolved into an enoteca and then a full-fledged restaurant garnering attention from noted food critics and publications. What's important, however, is not the praise of the public and self-proclaimed "foodies" (um, does that word make anyone else cringe?) but that you like it. I mean, I do, so you should too. Right? Sure!

The appetizers (including imported olives in wild fennel flowers and fresh rosemary, a selection of cured meats, and a fried duck egg with salted cod, capers, and truffles) are tapas-style and intended to be shared. Of course, you don't have to go halfsies on your cauliflower and gorgonzola croquettes, but how will you finagle a taste of your friend's Hawaiian king prawns in Trapanese coarse sea salt if you don't give up at least one bite?

Pasta and risotto dishes are hearty and may include pappardelle with chanterelles, fava beans, hyssop, and parmesan or gnocchi with peas, housemade pancetta, mint, and ricotta salata. Entrees cover fish (poached halibut with baby carrots, artichokes, garlic scapes, turnips, and meyer lemon aioli), chicken (Milanese style with a twist), pork (slow-roasted), and beef (grilled ribeye with pan-fried potatoes, spicy marmalade, and cayuga blue cheese).

However, il Buco's menu changes from time to time on account of market availability and freshness. The restaurant's website indicates the chef and owners take pride in acquiring their meat and poultry from local farms, using produce grown from sustainable farming practices, and purifying their water via a Dual-Flow water carbon filtration system. So if the bison carpaccio isn't an option on the day you stop by, rest assured something environmentally conscious and satisfying should show up in its stead.

Il Buco is open for lunch and dinner and accepts walk-ins, though you'll want to make a reservation when you can. They also accommodate private events thanks to a 20-seat wine cellar, a 20-seat chef's table facing the open kitchen, and the willingness to make the entire 70-seat main dining area available to your guests. Please note, parties of 14 or more may be asked to partake in a price-fixed menu.

As for that wine cellar, it features recessed alcoves, is lined with approximately 200 wine bottles from floor to ceiling, and is lit by sconces on its brick walls. Additionally, like every interesting New York establishment, it is equipped with its very own legend; it was apparently the inspiration for Edgar Allen Poe's story, "The Cask of Amontillado." Now, the eerie tale imbued me with a sense of claustrophobia when I first read it many moons ago, but I would still attend a dinner party in the room that served as inspiration - as long as I make sure to stay soberly alert and to keep bricks and mortar away from my nemesis.

Head over to il Buco with your immediate family for your brother's birthday, with that girl who's way too young for you yet seems so mature on account of her European upbringing, or with an extended group of friends for that one buddy's going-away party. There's a good chance you'll leave thinking, "I liked that place. It was cozy, rustic, and charming."

il Buco - 47 Bond Street, between Bowery & Lafayette Streets

Wallse

There are nights that call for a slightly upscale dining experience, but you've had your fill lately of French cuisine, Italian indulgences, and all shades of Asian infusions. You're thinking European elegance is the right move, but how many times can you go for a bistro, a tapas restaurant, a cafe? Well kids, this is the night you opt for Austrian fare and make a reservation at Wallse. Tell you more? Why, I'd be delighted.

Wallse is one of three restaurants from Chef Kurt Gutenbrunner - Cafe Sabarsky on the Upper East Side and Blaue Gans in Tribeca are the other two. (Sidenote: his wine bar, The Upholstery Store, is two doors down from Wallse, and Cafe Kristall should be coming to SoHo this winter). After having worked in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, and New York (with David Bouley and then as executive chef at Monkey Bar), Chef Gutenbrunner opened Wallse as his first New York restaurant. This venture earned him two stars from the New York Times in 2004 and one star from Michelin each year since New York restaurants have been eligible for such an honor. Located on a quiet West Village corner near neighborhood hot spots like The Spotted Pig, Perry St, Barbuto, and myriad wine bars, Wallse both fits in (regarding ambiance and quality) and stands out (thanks to its unique cuisine).

The restaurant is comprised of two rooms, the first of which is equipped with a bar. The floors and seats are black, the walls and tablecloths are white, fresh flowers and plants fill the large windows, and the standout design element is the collection of paintings adorning the walls. Over-sized canvases loom over diners, demonstrating Gutenbrunner's desire to marry art and food; an integration which was the impetus to situate his Cafe Sabarsky in the Neue Galerie along Museum Mile.

So how's the food? Not too shabby. You'll find words like spatzle, goulash, wiener schnitzel, and kavalierspitz on the menu. You'll find ingredients like sour cream, cucumbers, lingonberries, and celery root throughout the dishes. Most importantly, you'll find balanced, tasty options like an appetizer of marinated pork loin with smoked eel and prunes, an entree of olive oil poached wild striped bass with sweet pepper marinade, or a roasted veal chop with spinach and chanterelles. Vegetarians won't go hungry either thanks to selections like potato ravioli with chanterelles and potato-chive broth, artichokes and spring root vegetables in a light basil sauce, and side dishes of creamed spinach and potato-cucumber salad.

Of course, to partake in this distinctive experience, it's going to cost a bit more than your average potato salad and apple strudel. At last check, appetizers ranged from $12-$19, entrees were $22-$42, and desserts were $9-$12. Side dishes were available for $9, and Austrian and German cheeses ran about the same. You may also opt to create your own tasting menu by selecting four courses for $75 or six courses for $98, as long as the whole table is on board.

So make a reservation when you're itching for something new, you finally got that promotion at work, and your handsome Viennese boyfriend is longing for a taste of home...assuming anyone at home went to culinary school at the age of 15 like Chef Gutenbrunner and can make a meal just as delicious.

Wallse - 344 West 11th Street, at the corner of Washington Street

No. 7 Sub

The most basic of meals might be a sandwich and soda - unless you're picking it up from No. 7 Sub, in which case your lunch just got straight up cray cray. Broccoli with fresh mozzarella, thai basil pesto, and fried lemon? Roast beef with chimichurri, hummus, and potato chips? Speck with brussel sprouts, pickled blueberries, and mayo? What's happening? I'm scared!

Shhh, lamb. It's ok. Have a sip of the hibiscus ginger ale and relax.

Located in the somewhat recently opened Ace Hotel, the even recentlierer opened sandwich shop is from the same team that brought you Brooklyn's No. 7. Since they are alums of the French Culinary Institute and the respected kitchens of Jean Georges, The Modern, and Perry St, you might trust that these chefs and pastry chefs know what they're doing. Then again, you might not, but that's on you and your trust issues.

The bread is baked off-site in a bakery in Crown Heights, which was opened solely for the purpose of making No. 7 Sub's bread and the syrups for their homemade sodas. Soda flavors include berry-lime rickey, maple cream, and the aforementioned hibiscus ginger ale. They are subject to change, however, just as the sandwich options (some available for breakfast too) come and go on the chef's whim.

Also available are half moon cookies, which are similar in concept to New York's black-and-white cookies though with a chocolate cake-like base and frosting instead of icing (psst, Colgate students of the past, present, and future - they're just like those found at The Barge). No. 7 Sub also offers special half moon flavors on occasion such as brown sugar.

So, it must be stated there is no place to sit in No. 7 Sub. Given all the patrons standing in the small area, reading the menu options posted over the counter, and ordering from the cashier, it's not the worst thing to have to enjoy your meal elsewhere. Thankfully, the lobby of the Ace Hotel is right around the corner, or the tables by Madison Square Park and the Flatiron Building are a few blocks south. Come winter, outdoor seating will not be my first choice, but lamb, perhaps you're made of heartier stock than I.

No. 7 Sub - 1188 Broadway, between West 28th & West 29th Streets (in Ace Hotel)

Myers of Keswick

Hey, so you know how you're a British ex-pat? Not a lot of you? Oh. Ok, remember how you followed that punk band around England for two years in the 90s while working on-and-off in a Dr. Martens store and making jewelry out of safety pins? None of you? Right. Well, you've had tea before, yes? Phew. Then you are familiar with goods and food enjoyed in merry old England. Several posts ago, I mentioned I had quite a bit to say about a few more-special-than-your-average-deli delis, so this next one should appeal to anyone seeking York in New York - Manchester in Manhattan - the West End in the West Village - and other plays on words. This is Myers of Keswick - a place that offers British food, bold claims, violent yet charming advice, and Molly the cat. Read on.

Opened in 1985, Myers of Keswick is a shop that sells homemade as well as boxed, canned, bagged, and wrapped food to be eaten elsewhere, as there is no seating inside. The deli case displays the likes of pork pies, Cornish pasties (pronounced "pass-tees"...says the American), scotch eggs, sausage rolls, and curry lamb pies. It is also where they keep their bangers, pork/leek/ginger sausage, black pudding, Irish bacon, and Cumberland sausage. According to the store's website, "These are the only authentic Cumberland sausages made in the USA." That is a statement I cannot verify, but I applaud the immodesty.

The floor to ceiling shelves contain beans, peas, biscuits, teas, crisps, juices, condiments, sodas, baking products, soups, jams, candies, cereals, and basically anything else you might desire. Brands include Heinz, Branston, Weetabix, McVitie's, Sarson's, Baxters, HP, Vimto, Cadbury, and on and on. If you have trouble finding what you want, just ask the staff. On one occasion, when I inquired after toffee and digestive cookies, the man behind the counter correctly inferred I would be making banoffee pie. With his delightful English accent, he suggested which cookies to use, quelled my fears of boiling cans of condensed milk, and advised that when it comes to making the crust, I should, "Kill it with buh-uh." Of course, "buh-uh" meant "butter," and of course, I repeated that phrase to anyone who would listen for the next four days.

Upon entering Myers of Keswick, you will find a black and white tiled floor, that deli case to your left, those stocked shelves to your right, refrigerated items behind glass and wood cabinet-style doors at the back of the room, items like mugs, t-shirts, baby onesies, and flags behind the counter, and Molly the cat lounging around. You may have already heard of Molly, seen her on tv, or read about her in such publications as the New York Times. In the Spring of 2006, she managed to trap herself in the wall for two weeks, drawing crowds of concerned cat-lovers, pet psychics, members of the media, and ultimately, rescuers. I don't even want to know what she ate in the walls to survive, but I am sure it was less appetizing than the shop's chicken and mushroom pie.

So head over to Myers of Keswick when you are hungry for a scone (available in plain or raisin, with or without clotted cream and jam), when you want homemade mince pie at the holidays, or when you are feeling nostalgic for those days of punk in pub basements. Still no on that last one? Fine.

Myers of Keswick - 634 Hudson Street, between Horatio & Jane Streets

Don Peppe

I have been going to Don Peppe since before I was born. My parents enjoyed substantial Italian meals there while my sister sat in a high chair, and I was in the womb. We have returned over the years for many huge lobsters, numerous stuffed artichokes, myriad baked little neck clams, and countless pounds of pasta. Decades later, a meal at Don Peppe is still delicious.

Located near Acqueduct Racetrack and the long-term parking of JFK International Airport, Don Peppe is a no frills Italian restaurant in the South Ozone Park section of Queens. A glass door leads to the long, glass-enclosed waiting room facing the street at the front of the building, and a second glass door opens into the one brightly lit dining room. The tables have linens, the floor is carpeted, the metal-backed chairs have plastic-cushioned seats, and the menu is posted on the back wall. The ambiance is not exactly sultry, but you do not go to Don Peppe for romance unless you are having an affair with garlic.

Don Peppe is a family style restaurant in every sense of the term. The portions are enormous and intended to be shared, while most of the tables are filled with laughing, bickering, celebrating, criticizing relatives. Additionally, over the years, fathers and sons have worked side by side in the kitchen as well as within the waitstaff.

So what's drawing the crowds? The food. It is just red sauce, southern Italian fare, but it is good. And by "good" I mean "GOOD." And by "GOOD" I mean "It is so consistently amazing, I want some right now and don't know what to do with myself." What I can do for now is tell you about it and revel in the memories - which is unsurprisingly not as satisfying as going and eating, but I'm tough and will get through this.

There is the string bean salad with tomatoes and red onion, stuffed peppers, and seafood salad comprised of fresh mussels, clams, and scungilli. There's the linguine with white clam sauce loaded with garlic, plump clams, and more garlic. There's fillet of sole oreganata. Chicken scarpariello with sausage, peppers, and onions. Shrimp marinara. Lobster fra diavolo with mussels and clams over pasta. Broccoli rabe. Veal piccata. Beef brasciola. Even the simple capellini with marinara sauce has flavor for days.

The waiters will not rattle off specials, but if you ask what is in that day or peek in the glass case separating the dining room from the kitchen, you may discover some items that are not listed on the menu. If you see baby eggplants stuffed with bread, olives, and tomatoes, order it - they are tangy and tasty. If you hear they have salmon or red snapper in addition to the usual fillet of sole, order it - Don Peppe does fish better than most seafood restaurants. If you are debating between two entrees, order them both - you will want to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Beverages include water (bottled or tap), soda (by the glass or pitcher), wine (house red and white are available in unlabeled bottles), and beer. Note, no liquor. Come dessert time, there is cappuccino and espresso to accompany your Italian style cheesecake (ricotta, not cream cheese), tartufo, fruit sorbet, or cannoli. "But I'm stuffed," you protest. No, there's always room for a cannoli.

So here's the scoop - Don Peppe is cash only. They do not accept reservations except for parties of about ten or more, but even then, they will break down the table if you are not on time. They are open every day except Monday for both lunch and dinner, but the earlier you arrive, the better, as tables fill up quickly. You know what else goes quickly? That cheesecake I mentioned, which is not even available every day. As for parking, there is no lot, but street parking is available. Also, though the dress code is casual, hats are not to be worn in the dining room, and this policy is surprisingly enforced.

So round up the troops and show up hungry, as there's much eating to be done. Go with your extended family for your niece's graduation, with those family friends whose lawn you used to run around in your bathing suit, or for your own birthday with forty six of your closest friends. Small parties are easily accommodated, but the more people you have at your table, the more dishes you can justify ordering. Just sayin'.

Don Peppe - 135-58 Lefferts Boulevard, Queens, at the corner of 149th Avenue