Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria
Il Buco
New York has no shortage of great Italian food, and this past weekend I finally got to try Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria which my family has raved about.
Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria Restaurant & Market
From the outside, the restaurant is nothing spectacular - just a small brick building in NoHo. Once inside, like many New York City restaurants, it is a relatively small space, with a few tables up by the front along with a small market area and the remainder down a flight of stairs toward the back by the kitchen in a larger room with a second bar. We were seated at a long table, sectioned off to separate groups.
We ordered drinks and our waitress gave us the daily specials, which my sister noted were likley limited due to the holiday weekend.
We started with a few appetizers, including the Crispy Artichokes, Roasted Clams, Housemade Ricotta with poached garlic and grilled stirato, the brussel sprouts, and an order of the house made bread, which were served with fresh olive oil and sea salt.
The real highlight of the meal, however, was the Bucatini Cacio e Pepe, a dish they are known for here. It did not disappoint.
Bucatini Cacio e Pepe
We also shared the Short Ribs (for 2), which come served with a salad of castelvetrano olives, celery, walnuts and horseradish on top. It was easily enough for three people if not more, especially since the appetizers and Cacio e Pepe are must-try dishes and you must save room for dessert.
Our family never skips out on dessert, and each one we ordered was worth it. Even better was the Panna Cotta, served with 10-year aged balsamic, we received on the house, after I mentioned to our waitress I typically like them, but couldn’t decide. Ultimately, we ordered an array consisting of chocolate gelato, a Budino al Cioccolato with craime fraiche and candied cocoa nibs (essentially a chocolate pudding), and the cheesecake, which was served warm, and may have become one of my new favorites. Sadly the photos can’t do the desserts justice for just how good they were (we also had finished off a few glasses from their excellent wine list, so my photography skills were not at their best).
From Left to Right: Budino al Cioccolato, Gelato, Cheesecake & Panna Cotta
