Do you think eating in New York has to be expensive? Not at a hole-in-the-wall takeout place, but what about at a romantic restaurant with good service and food?
I thought so, but I was proven wrong last Friday night at Nonna (520 Columbus Ave.) They offer a $25 5-course tasting menu: arancini (fried rice balls), an antipasto platter, a pasta dish, a meat dish and dessert. This menu is only available for two or more, since the appetizers and desserts are served on shared plates. To accompany your reasonable meal, the menu lists quite a few decent wines under $30.
The pasta choices were wild mushroom tagliatelle and wild boar strozzipretti – we each tried one, and my tagliatelle almost made me wish I had ordered a whole plate. For meat we both chose the pork, which was stuffed with sausage and served with polenta. Dessert was tiramisu and delicious zeppole with honey dipping sauce. The chef was very thoughtful and sent out extra tastes for our friend who’d only ordered an entree.
Nonna
http://www.nonnarestaurant.com
520 Columbus Ave., New York NY
(Nearby attractions: The American Museum of Natural History and Central Park.)
Hey, that’s right near where I used to work! I’ve been there a bunch of times. It used to be called Avenue and served French bistro-y food. I have to say that Nonna is inconsistent so I’m glad you had a good meal then, probably cause it was the weekend. They can be pretty mediocre on weekdays.