2020 Broadway @ W. 69th St. (Upper West Side)
(212) 595-2805 barciboenoteca.com

Delicious, satisfying, high quality, yet reasonably-priced Italian wines and small bites served in a romantic, low-key atmosphere. Barcibo distinguishes itself in a neighborhood that is becoming increasingly populated by restaurants with marquee-type stature (think: Daniel Boulod, Bill Telepan and Tom Valenti), with the accompanying marquee-tabs. This forges a sharp contrast with a sea of over-priced mediocrity that characterizes many of the Upper-West side eateries.

Barcibo is a modest-sized space with mood lighting and understated, dark wooden furnishings and bright white Carrara marble table tops that makes an excellent pre-Lincoln Center choice or just a place to have a tete a tete with someone…just be sure to grab a table in the back, as the acoustics are better. 

Three Crostini

I dined at Barcibo with three friends before a night at the Met. Since I was curious about their crostini, I ordered a sample platter of three for $15. I chose the salame and gorgonzola with honey, the shrimp, artichokes, white wine and lemon and the baccala‘ (cod fish) with white beans and calamata puree. I loved all three of them, but the baccala, white bean was my favorite. The cod was fresh, light and fluffy and harmonized beautifully with the calamata. All of the crostini were made with premium ingredients and were set on medium-sized slices of toasted Tuscan bread. The sizes were just right and justified two reasonably-priced glasses of the Pinot Grigio Il Conte ($8 per glass).

Eggplant Napoleon

The eggplant Napoleon and the chicken, broccoli rabe panino that my dining companions ordered –all of which I sampled–were skillfully prepared and tasty. The eggplant Napoleon was delicate and balanced in flavor in texture. The eggplant was lightly baked and seasoned and sat atop layers of raw beefsteak tomatoe, a scoop of ricotta cheese and a slice of zucchini.

Panino with grilled chicken and broccoli rabe

The panino was made with a neatly pressed ciabatta bread. The broccoli rabe added depth and rich flavor to the thin, delicate slices of grilled chicken. The panino came with a generous side of mesclun salad.

For dessert, I ordered a plate of biscotti and an espresso. The biscotti were dense with hazlenuts and almonds and dusted a touch too heavily for my taste with powdered sugar. Both the coffee and the dessert hit the spot.

Biscotti

Service was casual but professional. The meal was perfectly paced for our night of opera.

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