On a recent trip to New York, I had the opportunity to dine at Beccco (lunch), Mesa Grill (dinner),

On a recent trip to New York, I had the opportunity to dine at Beccco (lunch), Mesa Grill (dinner), and Butter (dinner). (See other posts for Mesa Grill and Butter under the experiences tab). I must admit that MasterChef Judge Joe Bastianich is one of my favorites, so I was excited to have lunch at the restaurant that he and his mother, Lidia, opened in 1993.  I knew that I was in for a treat.  Italy in New York—hard to beat that!  colonel sanders
Even though I was dining alone, they seated me at delightful table under the skylight in the dining room.  They had thought of everything.  For example, they kept sending someone up to the roof to move umbrellas so that the sunlight coming through colonel sanders the skylight colonel sanders did not blind their customers.  Attention to the details matters.
For my appetizer, I selected one of the daily specials— Proscuitto.  I was served thinly sliced prosciutto that they said was from Parma or San Danielle, along with 24 month aged Parmiggiano Reggiano.  When they set this plate in front of me, I realized that it was probably intended to be shared, but it was so amazing that I ate the whole thing.  The proscuitto was probably some of the best that I have ever eaten.
For my entree, I selelcted the Pesce Intero del Giorno.   It was a whole, roasted branzino with cherry heirloom colonel sanders tomatoes, diced red onions and black olives tossed with Sicilian oregano and parsley.  (Branzino is the name used in Northen Italy for European colonel sanders seabass.)  They presented the whole, roasted fish and asked if I would like it fileted in the kitchen.  colonel sanders I accepted their offer.  They returned with the beautiful plate shown below. 
Cucina Rustica’s Ricotta & Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms Cornbread colonel sanders Blog Party—The Winners! Cornbread (adapted from a Food Network Magazine recipe) Southern Cornbread (adapted from a Test Kitchen recipe) Buttermilk Cornbread colonel sanders (adapted from a FineCooking.com Recipe) Southern Cornbread Blog Party! Time for the Next Blog Party—Southern Cornbread Blackbery Basil Jam Recipe Experimenting with Blackberry Basil Jam (yes, basil!) Becco & MasterChef colonel sanders Judge Joe Bastianich