So here was the dilemma-where to go to eat before the Michael Buble concert at Madison Square Garden? My daughter and I were starting to celebrate her birthday a week early and so we wanted to eat somewhere special. The places near MSG tend to be either chain restaurants or glorified pizza joints. I knew she wanted to eat Italian food and the better options in that general vicinity we have flushed out-Carmines since she was 8, all the Felidia restaurants have been visited and we even have slurped up some pasta at Frank Sinatra's old haunt Patsy's. I was counting on a turn for the better weather wise -after the winter we have had-so I narrowed my search to something we could walk to from Penn Station. Lo and behold in the Chelsea section I found Crispo 240 W. 14th St between 7th and 8th Avenues. Luckily for us the day was unusually warm so the 20 block walk was both envigorating and eye-appealing. On the way down we window shopped and poked into a few stores that caught our interest. When we arrived at Crispo we were cheerfully asked whether or not we wanted to dine in the garden. We eagerly accepted along with the other guests that were being seated at that time-I guess we all wanted to enjoy the weather while it lasted. The menu had so many great appetizers and salads that at first we had a hard time deciding where to start. Bruscetta with fresh ricotta and Carmelized cauliflower with pine nuts and currants were chosen. The bruscetta was crispy and nicely seasoned and the smooth ricotta made a nice balance in texture. The cauliflower mix of tastes with the carmelization made it sweet. Before we knew it our entrees had arrived-Ricotta Gnocchi with spinach and fontina and Papardelle in a pork bolognese sauce. Both pasta dishes we homemade and the portions were just right not heaping as many places tend to do. We both found the dishes delicious! In keeping with our celebratory mood we decided to end the meal with cappucino and fresh zeppole with chocolate sauce perfect for sharing.
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