When I want to indulge and enjoy a yummy meal, there is absolutely nothing I love more than a traditional pasta dish. So, when Valentine’s Day rolled around this past weekend, Italian food was on my mind. We picked Altesi Ristorante, a traditional fine dining restaurant in the Upper East Side.
The outside of the place is really unique with smooth wood paneling lining the entrance and a short flight of stairs leading down to its doors.
We went ahead and ordered our own four-course dinner to split:
Agnolotti … filled with braised duck and tossed in porcini truffle butter & green peas:
This was my absolute favorite dish of the night. I am usually more drawn to noodles than ravioli, but I was enticed by the combination of duck, mushrooms and truffle butter.
My instincts were right … The savory duck was a great combination with the not-overly-sweet truffle butter. Would eat again and again.
Trio of Gnochhi (veal ragu, sausage & kale and creamy pancetta):
The gnocchi were wonderful. Veal ragu was my favorite.
Roasted rack of lamb w/ candied olives and peas polenta:
Following the first two pasta dishes, this one didn’t do it for me. The polenta was flavorful & creamy and the lamb was cooked well, but I wasn’t blown away.
Trio of crème brûlée (chocolate, espresso and traditional):
The crème brûlée was crème brûlée. The traditional was the best.
Our dessert was accompanied by two glasses of limoncello. This made me very happy and mentally transported me inside those little shops on the Amalfi Coast with shelves and shelves of limoncello displayed in cute glass bottles.
So, props on the limoncello.
I could not have asked for a better Valentine’s Day meal. Thank you, Altesi!
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