Barilla – New York
Life is a combination of magic and pasta – Federico Fellini
I, for one, totally agree with Mr. Fellini. For me, pasta is before anything else. Well, for me, food is before anything else, but that’s a whole different story, for another day to talk about. I have been writing about my visit to New York, few weeks back. And while I was there, I sure did check out lots of restaurants to munch on and satisfy all my ambrosia. Barilla is one such delicious choice I made.
The restaurant, as I came to know recently, is a chain of food joints spread across 3 locations in New York and 2 more in Los Angeles. The one we visited was their Byrant Park location, at 1065 Avenue of the Americas. As we entered, we were kind of apprehensive about the cost of the dishes, but the 5-reasons-to-love-pasta board was just the right welcome. Barilla felt like a definite special date place. And that is what it turned out to be for us. Enough with the subtleties already, let’s talk food now or like they say, ‘let me penne my thoughts‘.
Barilla specializes in all kinds of pastas, and they believe in the Mediterranean diet of pasta, bread, fruits and veggies. So for all you vegetarians out there, there are plenty of options, including gluten-free choices. While we were there, we ordered 2 kinds of pastas.
Spaghetti Al Pomodoro
We went traditional with the first one. One can never be upsetti, when there is spaghetti. Spaghetti Al Pomodoro was the good old crushed tomato puree with fresh basil and spaghetti pasta. The look of it will of course attract you, but the tang of the tomato caught up in the swirls of the pasta, with Chardonnay on the side was every bit delicious too. This is the kind of right dish that is filling yet leaves you craving for more.
Farfalle Genovasi
Our next choice was one with the farfalle. Although the color of the grab seems bland, the look was appealing, so we dug right in. Farfalle Genovesi was pesto (which is basically basil leaves, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese and garlic in olive oil) with rich homemade creamy ricotta sauce topped with diced tomatoes. The creamy pesto blended perfectly well with sharpness of garlic here and there, making it wholesome and toothsome. The combination of the salty cheese and faralle will sure linger on the tongue for a while. I have to mention special credits to the chef, who in my opinion was by far one of the best Italian chefs, whose food I ever ate.
Pro tip, make sure you order some dessert as well. Just to complete both your date and meal. They do have a variety of pastries and other sweet savories. We had a tiramisu, and I must say, after pasta and wine, it was the perfect end to our dinner. All in all, with great ambiance, friendly staff and good music, the place is a definite yes, when you are in Manhattan.
Do check out the place. If you have already been there, let’s talk all about what you ordered or how you liked it in the comments section. If you like what you read, make sure you check out other must eat food joints based on your interests here. Happy Dining!!