There are definitely more Italian restaurants than any other cuisine in New York City, which makes picking the right one all the more difficult. It often seems like you have restaurants with hulking portions on the one end and those with itty-bitty dishes on the other. When you want simple, delicious and satisfying, head to Quartino Bottega Organica.
A happy medium between home style and gourmet, Quartino has perfect-size portions with incredible flavors and truly fresh ingredients. Unlike most Italian restaurants, Quartino’s menu slants vegetarian (yay!) and goes beyond just pasta and sauce. You can actually find veggies in your dish! Best of all, many of their pastas are whole wheat and ingredients are organic.
It’s a charming, but small, place that’s best on a warm evening when they keep their doors swung open.
What’s in it for you: Oven roasted artichoke hearts with seasonal herbs, brown rice risotto with pumpkin and asparagus, vegetable ravioli with a creamy walnut sauce.
What’s in it for them: Fish of the day served with vegetables. Or check out the day’s special’s, like the fettuccine with shrimp my friend ordered.
Spinach and ricotta ravioli in a creamy walnut sauce...to die for.
Farfalle with spinach pesto and cherry tomatoes
Entrées run anywhere from $9 to $18 and for those who love to indulge in vino, Quartino offers wine by the quarter liter, hence the restaurant’s name. I can’t wait to go back, but now I’m dying to try their lunch sandwiches (made with whole wheat bread of course) and brunch options, most of which are made with organic eggs. Mmm…until then!
Bon appétit!
Quartino Bottega Organica
11 Bleecker St. between Lafayette and Bowery
212.529.5133
6 to Bleecker St.
B, D, F, V to Broadway-Lafayette St.
F, V to Lower East Side-Second Ave.