Convivio

This former L'Impero space in Tudor City has recently been overhauled by new owner Michael White, marginally modernized, and re-christened Convivio. The room is slightly darker than before but still is covered with random draperies, and as before more than half the crowd looked to be from the blue-haired set. The service was also a bit stilted - they first tried to sit four of us at a two-top, then replenished our bread three times before our order was taken - but the food certainly made up for it.

The menu is organized as a four course tasting ($59) which seemed quite reasonable. The meal started on an adventurous note, with antipasti that included duck heart salad (a touch gamey but surprisingly tender, and plentiful) and poached veal tongue (mixed reviews here - "bologna with pesto") along with some more standard options. Then came the pasta course, and along with it the reminders of why the chef has been compared to Mario Batali. Fusilli with pork shoulder and a mildly spicy tomato sauce was light enough until you hit the nuggets of meat that melt sublimely in your mouth. The macherroni carbonara was rich without being cumbersome - a light cream sauce nimbly accented with deeply salty pancetta. The tortelli with guanciale was impossibly thin and finished with a pepper and percorino dash that reminded one of L'Impero's now-forgotten spaghetti with salt and pepper - one of the simpler pleasures of days gone by. The only disappointment was a sea bass tortellini which tasted fishy, had a bit of a heavy-handed gremolata garnish, and paled in comparison to the other pastas. The mains had a tough act to follow, but managed to hold their own with a mammoth ribeye steak, a now-ubiquitous braised short rib, and sauteed fresh fish for lighter fare. All were passable, none were particularly memorable. Dessert was included as part of the prix fixe, but as usual will be left to sweeter-toothed reviewers to opine on.

The wine list is extensive but most of the sub-$100 bottles were unfamiliar, generally from lesser-known-to-me areas such as Sicilia and Puglia. No matter, we ended up with a 2004 Gevrey Chambertin in that price range which worked out nicely.

All told, its the pastas that will bring me back. And back I will be.

The Sage Questions
Date Spot? Yes
Good for Groups? No
When Parents Visit? Yes
Cost? $59 prix-fixe
Wines under $100? Several but lesser-known
Rating: 3