6. VETRI
Philadelphia, PA
7. IL GRANO
West LA, CA
8. BABBO
New York, NY
9. ACQUERELLO
San Francisco, CA
10. SPINASSE
Seattle, WA

8

Photo Courtesy of: CarbZombie

Babbo
New York, NY

110 WAVERLY PL.
212-777-0303
WWW.BABBONYC.COM

Along with wine, cheese, fine art and classic films, you can add Mario Batali’s signature restaurant to the list of things that get better with age. One of the few restaurants where more people recommend the appetizers and pastas than the entrees – fans talk about delicious versions of classic dishes like lamb’s tongue salad, and the signature mint love letters with spicy lamb sausage – a sizable contingent of reviewers recommend “forgoing the mains entirely” and sticking exclusively to the starters and pastas. This is a tough reservation to come by, and eating at the small bar at the front of the restaurant is popular with reviewers. Joe Bastianich’s wine list is loaded with cherries and treasures, but buyer beware: Given the prices, one would think the bottles were coated in gold leaf.