Bellavitae

Note: Bellavitae closed in July 2010.

My family and I wandered into Bellavitae on a whim at about 10:00 p.m. on a Saturday evening, after a performance at the Minetta Lane Theater next door. It was simply the nearest source of nourishment that looked at all promising. But Bellavitae offers far more than mere sustenance: it is truly a gem.

The menu, which changes frequently, lacks the traditional split between appetizers and entrées. Most of the items are small plates that are suitable for sharing. There are a few conventional main courses, but they are in the minority. Most items are under $20, and there are some real winners under $10.

The focus is on ingredients from Italian artisanal farmers. The owner, Rolando Beramendi, supplies imported ingredients to many of the city’s Italian restaurants. After doing that successfully for 15 years, he decided to branch out into a restaurant of his own. It opened in January 2005 to mostly rave reviews. Frank Bruni was impressed, but gave it only the Diner’s Journal treatment.

We ordered five small plates to share, and there wasn’t a dud among them:

• Crostini carpaccio ($14), thinly sliced raw beef with a home-made (slightly spicy) mayonaise
• Sformatino di Melanzane ($8), baked layers of baby eggplant with mozzarella and tomato sauce
• Crostini con Salmone e Robiola ($13), smoked salmon with robiola cheese and caperberries
• Fichi Colavolpe all Griglia ($9), grilled figs wrapped in pancetta
• Polpettine Fritte ($8), little fried meatballs

Any of these dishes could easily be a disaster in less skilled hands. The meatballs were breaded and deep-fried, but without a hint of grease. The grilled figs wrapped in pancetta had just the right balance between the two ingredients, with neither dominating the other. The home-made mayonaise lent just the right amount of spiciness to the crostini, without upstaging the beef. And on this showing, crostini could displace the bagel as the proper home for salmon and cream cheese.

The name, Bellavitae, is a made-up word that’s a cross between “beautiful life” and “beautiful vines.” Wine, indeed, is a focus. The list focuses on small Italian producers, with about 150 bottles available and a wide selection by the quartino. My mom and I were quite pleased with the two reds we sampled, very reasonably priced at $14, considering that a quartino yields about two glasses’ worth. House-made bread, naturally served with olive oil for dipping, completed the package.

The bill for five small plates and two quartinos of wine came to $80 before tax and tip. Service was prompt and courteous, though by this hour the restaurant was not crowded. A “beautiful life” indeed.

Bellavitae (24 Minetta Lane at Sixth Avenue, Greenwich Villege)

Food: **
Service: **
Ambiance: **
Overall: **

Bouley

Note: This is a review of Bouley at its former location on West Broadway. Click here for a review of the new location, to which the restaurant moved in November 2008.

My mom and I had dinner at Bouley last week. I had already been to the restaurant twice before, including a visit last summer, when two colleagues and I were most impressed with the tasting menu. This time, we ordered à la carte.

I loved my appetizer, described on the menu as “Organic Connecticut Farm Egg Steamed with Black Truflle, Serrano Ham, Parmesan Reggiano and 25-Year Old Balsamic Vinegar” ($22). This is typical of a Bouley dish, with a large number of ingredients and a cooking style not anchored to any one region. It all fits together, and never feels too busy or over-engineered.

The entrée was Baby Pig ($42)—not currently listed on the website, so I can’t quote every ingredient. If a little less clever than the appetizer, I was nevertheless pleased with the careful preparation, with the crispness of the skin contrasting the tender flesh underneath.

Dessert was excellent: “Tahitian Vanilla-Nishiki Rice Pudding with Tropical Fruit Compote and Yuzu Sorbet” ($13). On top of that, there were several bonus courses: the amuse bouche (a tomato gazpacho), pre- and post-dessert, and petits-fours. We were, of course, sent home with the signature sponge cake, which I enjoyed for breakfast the next morning.

The wine list is lengthy, expensive, and generally French. The Saint Domingue we ordered ($90) was excellent, and the staff kept our glasses filled without my ever having to touch the bottle—a degree of pampering worth mentioning only because it is so rare.

A few years ago, there was a sense that the front-of-house at Bouley was letting down the kitchen. Several lapses—unforgivable at a restaurant purporting to offer a four-star experience—were cited in Frank Bruni’s demotion review three years ago. I myself had noticed some minor infelicities in two previous visits, but on this occasion the staff had it just about perfect.

There is, I suppose, a certain sense that David Bouley is no longer innovating—that he is too busy opening new places to really focus on his flagship restaurant. But there is a certain sense of refinement and polish at Bouley that very few restaurants can match.

Update: A few weeks later, I was back at Bouley with a colleague. We had the tasting menu with wine pairings. All of the food was polished and refined, but there really wasn’t any “wow” in it. I once again felt that the service was rushed, as it had been the last time I had a tasting menu here. Given the track record over multiple visits, I’ve at last concluded that 3 stars is the correct rating, not the the 3½ stars I had awarded previously.

Bouley (120 West Broadway at Duane Street, TriBeCa)

Food: ***
Service: ***
Ambiance: ***
Overall: ***