del posto

ok this'll be my last birthday post, i promise. after three straight nights of being showered with love and good food--first at room 4 dessert, then tokyo pop, then monkeytown--two saturdays ago the gorgeous dglass got all ridiculous on me and treated me to a spectacular, jacket-n-tie, old-world-elegance dinner at mario battali's del posto.

first let me say that i've never eaten at a place with this kind of... what?... like five-star service: supremely attentive and thoughtful, never overbearing, at least six different people attending to our every need, my water glass was NEVER empty (and i drank like 25 of them!), and they even brought over this silly little stool upon which dglass could rest her bag.

as for the food, it was beautiful. we each ordered the ten-course chef's tasting menu, which to me is totally the way to go at special-occasion places like this. it was all very, very good, but here are some highlights: the pea pasta packets were heavenly. the head cheese (they didn't call it that, but that's what it was) was decadent and delicious, especially paired with the AMAZING 25-year-old balsamic vinegar. the vegetables in truffle oil were perfect. the rigatoni with boar was rich and wonderful. the honey--the honey!--that came with the cheese course was fabulous. the attention to detail on each dish made the entire meal so tasty; such an unforgettable experience. and THEN, after all that eating, they bring around this UNbelievable cookie cart, and gave us like three-desserts-worth of the best italian cookies i've ever had in my life.

dglass and i have celebrated four birthdays together, and done the tasting menu thing each time: at jack's luxury oyster bar, megu, wd-50, an now del posto. and it's such a joy to share such special nights with such a special woman.