Stecchino

Last night I went to Stecchino for dinner.  It is located on 9th Avenue between 52nd and 51st.  It was packed (it seemed to be an office holiday party, because of the random assortment of people there who all knew each other), but the hostess was able to set up a table in a small corner for us, which was nice.  It was far enough away from awkward holiday party conversations, that we completely forgot that was happening behind us.

They have a pretty comprehensive list of wines by the glass, as well as a lot of small plates, cheeses and antipasta to munch on.  They also serve flatbread "pizzas" and house specialties - which consist of pastas, fish and meat.  Pretty much something for everyone!

picture from stecchinonyc.com

We shared the Grilled Vegetarian Flatbread, which was topped with marinated grape tomatoes, baby arugula, artichoke hearts, caramelized onions and parmigiano reggiano.  It was delicious - the bread was crispy and there were just enough toppings to force you to eat it was a fork and knife.  My friend and I were reminiscing about its yumminess this morning!

For dessert we ordered the Petite Sweets, which are three shot glasses filled with tiramisu, red velvet cake and white chocolate and strawberry mousse torte, respectively.  My favorite was the red velvet cake (which I could have easily ate three more of).  The white chocolate and strawberry tasted very much like strawberry shortcake and was very tasty.  The tiramisu, which we were the most excited for, left a lot to be desired.  The layers were separated and very liquidy, something was just off.  Next time I would definitely get the order of two petite sweets or get two red velvets and a strawberry.

from stecchinonyc.com

Overall a very good dinner...I am looking forward to returning to try some of the small plates and definitely another order of the vegetarian flatbread and red velvet petite sweet!

Ardesia

Thursday night I checked out Ardesia - this adorable little wine bar on 52nd Street between 10th and 11th.  Not only do they have a fairly extensive wine list, but delicious snacks to nosh on...they recently received Time Out New York's Critics' Choice Award for Most Ambitious Bar Food!

picture from wall street journal

We had Artichoke and Crab dip (complete w toasted slices of Amy's Bread, which is just down the street), Caramelized Brussel Sprouts (which I thought were yummy, but I am a brussel sprout fiend) and Homemade New York Style pretzels.  The pretzels are AMAZING, they are served with a spicy Dijon mustard and a cheese sauce, which as our waiter told us, you could just eat with a spoon (and I agree!).  We rounded out our meal with a homemade ice cream sandwich, which actually was more like 2 thin slices of cake with ice cream in between...yum!  AND, to top it all off, they have an awesome happy hour special - $6 glasses of wine.  

I will definitely be frequenting this neighborhood gem often!