A Voce NYC
Due to the nature of my work, I was in a position where I was invited to A Voce by someone who works there. It was a Friday night, and just me for dinner. The menu was chosen by them and I tried everything they put in front of me! I'll list how they came out of the kitchen as they brought me a lot of food. I felt a lot of pressure to eat as much as they sent out because I was there as a guest.
To start - Sardinian sheep's milk ricotta with fresh bread. This tasted like nothing I've ever had before. Fluffy white clouds and it melted in my mouth. I also had their Salami appetizer which was sliced Tuscan sausage. Just like it tastes in Italy.
Next was a surprising mix of mussels with a sausage marinara sauce. I would have never thought these could go together, but the sausage bits were the perfect "kick."
Then I had one of the house specialties, the meat ravioli. These three ravioli were amazing. Just parmesan and tomato and a rich combination of flavors.
The "main" dish was the Quail saltimbocca. Made with lentils, proscuitto and fig this was another combination I hadn't ever considered. They wrap the quail meat in a little roll and then fry it for a second like a spring roll. At this point I was already getting stuffed so I soldiered on through this one, and I wished I could have it the next day.
They let me breathe for a few minutes before serving me the cheese dish. This was served on a japanese style wooden block - 3 choices of cheese and 3 sweet/savory compliments. the compliments were 3 perfect walnuts, 2 dried apricots and a dollop of honey.
For desert the insanity really set in. Three waiters came over, each with a different dish. They brought a cup of sorbet - banana and grape, hot beignets with chocolate and creme fraiche AND a beautiful pannacotta in fig sauce. I ate about half of each of these even though there really wasn't any room to spare. The sorbets were delicate and unusual, and very refreshing after the cheese course. The beignets were like they were in France, so perfect and thinly coated in granulated sugar. The pannacotta was delicious and I would order it again.
I finished the meal with espresso and Faretti Biscotti liqueur at the bar.
Throughout the meal the sommelier was attentive with wine choices. I started with Bortolotti Prosecco and with each dish change a new choice was presented. I would type out the full list but I can't read my writing very well as I was pretty tanked by the end of everything. I do remember the Maculan Dindorello with desert. A sweet wine that went well at the end of the meal.
This is a great restaurant and Bruni's review in the NYT nailed a lot of the high (and low) points. I had amazing service but the two ladies next to me were not happy. It was probably 20 minutes until someone took their order and admittedly they didn't receive the attention they deserved. At one point they asked me if I was a food critic because of the volume of food that was being brought out for just me (and the fact that with each course I had to ask exactly what it was they had just brought). I shared my deserts with them and they were happy again.
I like the decor - Eames management chairs and crimson walls, but it is very loud in there and I think it would be difficult for one to carry on a conversation with a group of more than 4. I would definitely go again even if I wasn't on business.
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