Quick Bites: A Return To Lupa

[Pigging  by Wilfrid:  April 16, 2012]

Mario Batali's modest osteria Lupa has been so consistently packed for dinner service that it's been years since I dined there.  My lunches there, too, were some time in the past -- although the plate-sized tripe omelette remains a vivid memory.

But needing an early week destination in the Village recently, I scooped up a four-top, and had a pretty good time.  After the odd and slightly off-hand greeting, anyway.

Arriving on time, my party was sent to the bar to wait -- about thirty-five minutes -- for preceding diners to give up the table.  Perhaps this is standard practice at Lupa, as it always has been at Mesa Grill, because certainly nobody on the staff seemed at all concerned or embarrassed.  Since the bar fills with diners too, this means standing in a narrow gangway, impeding servers. 

Also, the bar-tender seemed astonished when I asked to see the by-the-bottle wine-list rather than the wines by the glass.  He could surely see we were a party of four.  I instantly became a character in an H.E. Bateman cartoon: "The man who asked for the bottle list."

Everything settled down once we were shown to a table in the -- thankfully less raucous -- back room.  Yes, the place is still packed, even on Tuesday nights.

The affetati are not to be missed, especially when the smaller helping ($20) is so generous.  Plenty here to share among four, and the prosciutto was excellent, as was the curls of cured tongue served in a bowl with some sweet pickles.  I still prefer my headcheese firm rather than melting on a warm plate, but that's how Lupa serves it.

I never thought we'd arrive at a day when it would be difficult to find a bad octopus dish in the city.  Lupa nailed it, just as the otherwise hapless Monkey Bar did, but it was better value at $12 rather than $19.  Tender tentacles, lightly charred; farro, chickpeas and a salsa verde.

I'd been told by my party that I couldn't order the duck leg appetizer -- with radishes and dandelion greens -- if I was also going to eat the duck special.  I opted for the latter, and I'm pleased I did.  Tuesday nights only: crispy duck agrodolce.  Crispy it was -- fat properly rendered, note -- while the thin sweet-sour sauce hit the right notes, just like a good canard à l'Orange.

Big scallions -- so big they might as well be calcots.  Half a duck too, as is evident from the photos, and appropriately cooked to medium, as the leg was still attached.

I tasted some of the other dishes offered.  Very good chicken a la diavola. Charred mackerel with grapefruit, which was lovely, but not remotely charred -- raw, if anything, or at best en escabeche.  There was a steak dish too which was warranted good, but came in such a tiny portion I couldn't bring myself to try it.

Decent wines from the middle range -- a Prosecco Valdo, then a Rosso Conero Lunghe. Some cheeses to share. The check, around $80 a head, including tax but not tip, which seems a staggering bargain in modern Manhattan for a full meal with plenty to drink.

The Website is here.

Comments

[Wilfrid]

Well, I kind of knew they were right. Just looking for confirmation. As for the testa, I loved what Alex Stupak was serving at Empellon Cocina a couple of weeks ago: thick, firm, cool slices.

[Sneakeater]

1. I really like the way they serve testa here.

2. I can't believe you'd let other people at the table tell you how to order like that.