BY CAROLYN ONOFREY
Otto
1 5th Ave
212-995-9559/ottopizzeria.com
A child of the Bastianich/Batali family, Otto is a restaurant that I keep coming back to again and again for its great food and value.
Antipasti Spread at Otto
Walking in to Otto you are greeted by a wine bar modeled after an old train station with high-top tables to stand at and invited have a glass of wine while you are undoubtedly waiting for your table. The wine list itself, will keep you busy while you are waiting for your name to come up on the large train schedule style board with its list of a seemingly endless selection of bottles, more than a hundred deep.
The dining room is a cozy, yet surprisingly large space accented by burgundy walls and exposed wood beams. The waiters are friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive, treating you just like family. In fact, families do gather at Otto. Family friendly surroundings and some of the most reasonable prices in town make Otto a gathering place for families with young children and picky eaters.
On my most recent trip, we decided to go family-style and share everything. We started with a selection of antipasti, choosing the calamari, octopus, beets, olives, and roasted peppers and capers ($4-$9 ea). All were served chilled and had delicate, unadulterated flavors. The stand out for me was the octopus which was tender and soft and was wonderfully contrasted with the crunch and taste of celery, which added a subtle yet distinctive flavor to the mild octopus.
Pepperoni Pizza at Otto
For our main courses we had the Spaghetti Alla Carbonara ($9, and my personal favorite), Pasta Alla Norma ( $9 with tomato, eggplant, and bufala ricotta), Rigatoni Con Sausage & Escarole ($9), and the pizza Funghi (mushroom) and Taleggio, Pepperoni, and plain cheese. ($11-$14 ea.) It was my first time trying the pizza at Otto, and as I had heard from many reliable sources, the pizza was a little dull. Although cooked well with a thin, crispy crust and a gooey layer of cheese and sauce, the dough was flavorless.
Olive Oil Coppetta at Otto
Dessert was a treat with the Olive Oil Coppetta($10), an olive oil gelato with lime curd, pineapple rosemary canserva, passion fruit caramel, and cashew brittle. Salty , sweet, and tangy this Coppetta was a lively mouthful of flavor that all worked harmoniously with each other, each bite a new and different adventure. Dessert also consisted of the Rhubarb Coppetta (vanilla gelato, polenta cake, poached rhubarb, and candied blood oranges) , a tangy and refreshing dish that I could have easily ordered 2 more of, and the Guinness Stout gelato with dark chocolate, toffee, and peanut crema, a rich chocolate dessert, smooth with a salty crunch. The desserts overall, were very well thought out with perfect flavors and textures around every spoonful.
Olive Oil Coppetta at Otto
Olive Oil Coppetta at Otto
I will continue to frequent Otto (that is, when I’m lucky enough to get a reservation) and enjoy the rich, refined Italian comfort food that encompasses what makes Otto such a success.
