Age Is Just A Number (Or So They Say)

I bring that up because my most vivid memory of Lupa, Mario Batali's bustling Thompson Street joint, is from my 21st birthday.  That seems like ages ago now.  September 11th had just happened.  My family rented out the back room and people drank bellinis and we all ate charcuterie and rigatoni with breadcrumbs.  

It was a transcendent meal, but it was also a long time ago, so it's always amazing to me that Lupa never suffers from diner boredom.  They're busy seven days a week.  Their menus don't change dramatically but people still go back.  

I stopped in for a midday snack yesterday.  I had the shaved asparagus with pecorino, a plate of ricotta gnocchi with a sausage bolognese, and some bavette (thin linguine) with black pepper and cheese.  The bavette was the best.  It was simple, it was rustic, it was al dente, and it was perfectly satisfying.  Which, I guess, is why people go back.  You can get what you want.  No fuss, no muss.  No hundred dollar check, either.  The bellinis lack the spirit of invention, but they are delicious.  Maybe that's all food needs to be sometimes: delicious. 

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Lupa

170 Thompson Street

New York, NY 10012

212.982.5089