10.02.08
Review of Becco, Thursday August 2008
355 w.46th St. & 9th/8th Aves., 212-397-7597
Great for: having tons of pasta before a show
A thoughtful date took me to Becco about five years, knowing how much I loved pasta. If anything I love it even more now, but I eat it less often, so when I do I like to make it count. Unfortunately, Becco did not live up to my (probably idealistic) memories. At least August: Osage County afterward knocked my socks off. It was so good I didn’t even fall asleep despite all the food and my utter exhaustion from work.
We did the special prix fixe, all-you-can-eat of three pastas plus an appetizer for $22.95. We shared the antipasto misto, basically roasted vegetables and seafood. The whitefish was a bit overcooked, but I actually liked the octopus, which was pretty tender and not very chewy. The peas and ricotta with honey were good. The rest of the veg were mostly things I don’t eat. It’s an ok dish, and my focus was on the upcoming skillets of pasta anyway.
The goat cheese and beet ravioli had a creamy, delicate flavor. The beets were finely chopped and made the ravioli a pretty pink. I liked it at first, but it was a little too delicate compared to the other dishes. The penne with tomato and basil was a bit bland; still pretty good. The fettucine with panchetta, porcini mushrooms and peas was my favorite, partly for the nice al dente texture and partly because of the bacon (I know, panchetta is better; it still effectively just tastes like really nice bacon). There was an uneven ratio of additions to pasta though. Probably a cost-cutting measure. Midtown Hedge Funder didn’t like it as much as I did.
I’d been drinking steadily for the last few days, so I just had water. MHF had a $7 bottle of 2005 Il Brecciarolo. It was all right. The service is very good and quick here. There are tons of waiters and the place is enormous. I was amused by the upholstered ceilings. If you’re in the area and need a casual, quick meal, this is a fun choice.
Rating: 6.5 / 10
Our cost: $90 (one $7 bottle of red)
Noise level: noisy
Chance of walking in: not that good before a show.
