Borgo
Borgo doesn’t hit diners over the head with its brilliance. On first glance, its pressed-tin ceiling, globe lighting, white tablecloths, and wood trim look like what you’d see at hundreds of other NYC restaurants. But then you notice that the tables are a civilized distance apart, the art is quirky (some is by chef/owner Andrew Tarlow), and though the restaurant is loud enough to seem “buzzy” it’s actually quite easy to hold a conversation in. The menu, too, seems just shy of cookie cutter. But when the food starts to arrive, you realize that Tarlow is crafting the platonic ideals of many dishes (like his masterfully creamy but toothy risottos, and his perfectly crisp fried artichoke), and getting very creative with others (the fried delicata squash with honey chili coating tastes like a sophisticated version of the fried dough you’d get at a carnival). Cocktails, too, are next level, like the “Golden Bachelor,” compiled from an orgeat syrup flavored with rose petals and pistachio nuts, plus toasted coconut milk, genever, white rum, and rose water. A meal to remember.
Borgo doesn’t hit diners over the head with its brilliance. On first glance, its pressed-tin ceiling, globe lighting, white tablecloths, and wood trim look like what you’d see at hundreds of other NYC restaurants. But then you notice that the tables are a civilized distance apart, the art is quirky (some is by chef/owner Andrew Tarlow), and though the restaurant is loud enough to seem “buzzy” it’s actually quite easy to hold a conversation in. The menu, too, seems just shy of cookie cutter. But when the food starts to arrive, you realize that Tarlow is crafting the platonic ideals of many dishes (like his masterfully creamy but toothy risottos, and his perfectly crisp fried artichoke), and getting very creative with others (the fried delicata squash with honey chili coating tastes like a sophisticated version of the fried dough you’d get at a carnival). Cocktails, too, are next level, like the “Golden Bachelor,” compiled from an orgeat syrup flavored with rose petals and pistachio nuts, plus toasted coconut milk, genever, white rum, and rose water. A meal to remember.
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