14 Below: East Bound and Down

My apartment frequently converts to a hotel (or I should more appropriately say hostel) thanks to my wonderful friends visiting and my generous roomates sharing their space. Wasting no time in 2010, I had my first weekend of guests: Kathleen and Clark, two of my oldest, best and most fun friends. When planning restaurants for their visit, I try to balance between favorite staples and taking advantage of the opportunity to try somewhere new. And even though I am a west village snob, it is important to tour a variety of neighborhoods, which will then feature a spectrum of scenes, prices, and cuisines. It is in that very spirit of neighborhood diversity and trying somewhere new, I chose Bianca in the East Village for dinner.

Bianca is wonderful - the quintessential neighborhood gem serving standout Italian dishes for affordable prices in a warm, charming and bustling atmosphere. No reservations are taken at Bianca, so for a party of 5 at 8:30 Friday night, the wait was over an hour - but Bianca has a great partnership with the next door bar, Von, to help with the wait. The host will come find you at the bar to let you know when your table is ready, and if you have not finished your drink, no problem - bring it over to Bianca to finish at your table.

Photo of antique china set on shelves and walls - not pictured: exposed brick wall: ADORABLE!

To start, we ordered the GNOCCO FRITTO for the table. Take a trip to the State Fair Italian-style, spreading stracchio cheese on puffy pillows of dough made from flour, water, and lard that’s deep-fried in oil.

Fried dough + cheese = yes please.

My favorite group dinners are those when everyone at the table orders something different so you can share bites of each dish. Per our waitress's recommendation, I ordered the Lasagna, the traditional one from emilia-romagna with bechamel and meat sauce. I know this is a bold statement, but the lasagna is the best I have had in New York. Incredible flavor and is alone worth a trip to the restaurant. Clark and Kathleen ordered the Stracetti di Manzo, pan-seared thin slice of filet mignon with rosemary and potatoes. Both gave two thumbs up and were still talking about it today. Caroline ordered the Salmonce Croccante, crispy roasted salmon fillet and Sarah ordered the special fish - each light, flakey, and perfectly seasoned. Perhaps the best finish to the meal? The bill - appetizer, five entrees and bottles of wine for only $30 each!

So delighted with our dining experience, Clark and Kathleen dancing outside Bianca while singing praises.

Bianca
5 Bleecker St., New York, NY 10012
212.260.4666
Monday - Thursday: 5:00 - 11:00, Friday - Saturday: 5:00 - 12:00
Sunday: 5:00 - 10:30
NO RESERVATIONS - CASH ONLY

After dinner, we stayed on the East Side - drinking cocktails out of tea cups at my favorite Lower East Side speakeasy bar, The Back Room (full post on that soon), going more low key at Spring Lounge, dancing with NYU students at Gatsby's, and missing last call at Pravda.

And what would a night out on the East side be without finishing late night on the West side at a packed (we actually had to wait for a table at 3:30 a.m.) Waverly Restaurant.