Location: Inoteca on 3rd Ave at 24th (inotecanyc.com)
Edibles: caponata bruschetta (and a taste of Elizabeth's fig mascarpone); tonnarelli con ragu bianco (square spaghetti with white sauce)
Musings: I was psyched when this Inoteca opened within walking distance of my apartment but I've only been there twice before today due to the difficulty in getting resos. (More than a week in advance is beyond my plan-making abilities. Inoteca's loss; Damon Frugal Friday, Artisanal and Irving Mill's gain.) Tonight, the restaurant was almost completely empty. Not surprising, since the streets of NYC were likewise empty this whole long weekend. It was nice to be able to sit down immediately and have elbow room to boot. I noticed that the menu, mostly in Italian, is now accompanied by a glossary. I've only seen this in one other restaurant, and I find it as pretentious and fussy here as when I first encountered it at Otto.
I can't get enough of caponata these days, so I was very satisfied with my little starter. I thought the fig mascarpone was good in theory but I didn't love it. As for the main, I'd had the pasta before (lunch with Bess) so I knew what was coming. The sauce was rich and tasty, as I remembered, but somewhat marred this time by some tough, woody flecks from poorly trimmed artichokes.
Overall, pretty solid. But this restaurant's main appeal continues to be its proximity to my apartment. Man, we desperately need some good restaurants in Murray Hill/Kip's Bay.
(PS. Bess, I really was atrociously, rudely late when we met for lunch that time and I apologize again!)
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