The New York Trattoria

From New Album 9/4/08 10:01 PM

The New York version of the trattoria, an informal rustic dining establishment, seems inviting these days. In the last month, the usual conversation about where to eat for dinner has been happily resolved with the decision to walk over to Gemma. This trattoria associated with the Bowery Hotel provides a comfortable, rustic textured decor of colors I associate with the setting sun. The service is friendly, and the food is fresh and basic. I could easily live off of basic trattoria fare - simply-made pasta with some sort of savory sauce, a white pizza with olives, fresh salad greens, a glass of red wine, and maybe a little warm chocolate something for after.

In my fantasy for post-financial New York, there would be a trattoria on every corner. Informality, friendliness, affordable prices, and a premium placed on farm-fresh ingredients would help provide the needed antidote to the recent frantic pace of New York's latest Gilded Age. This is the kind of place to linger, unwind, and unplug.

Image by Walking Off the Big Apple. September 23, 2008.