Via Carota is widely recognized as one of New York City’s best restaurants. The West Village osteria dazzles day and night thanks to the elegant yet casual ambiance, impeccable service, and the exquisite Tuscan-inspired cuisine served indoors or out on bucolic Grove Street. Celebrity chefs/owners and local legends Rita Sodi and Jody Williams enhance the destination status. The only problem with Via Carota as your destination is getting a table. There are no reservations. Turning that corner from 7th Avenue South onto Grove Street often involves the sight of a scrum on the sidewalk, not just waiting for a table, but waiting to put their name on the list just to be able to wait for a table.
Now, I love Via Carota, too, but “waiting” (even for food) doesn’t suit me, as it alters my expectations. What? I stood around ___ minutes for this? Know what I’m saying? So, when I see a crowd, I walk away, and where I walk when I won’t wait for Via Carota is:
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A few blocks down, at 15 7th Avenue South, is a brother/sister joint of Fernando (chef) and Aida (manager) Scarpati, inspired by their restaurateur grandfather and father (the latter recently passed). The family hails from the island of Ponza in the Tyrrhenian Sea, so seafood is featured on the menu, but the regions of Italy are represented, as are some Italian-American favorites. The attractive interior features exposed brick, alabaster columns, and a bar backlit in Mediterranean blue. There’s also a generous prix-fixe menu with lots of options Monday-Thursday and appealing wine deals every night.
A quick stroll up 7th Avenue to the corner of Greenwich Avenue brings a verdant tapestry with an arboretum cortile opposite a street-side terrazzo. The expansive interior is full of light, with vast seating options at wooden tables among Italian antiques, art, memorabilia and a long zinc bar from where inventive cocktails are poured. The classic trattoria fare features house-made pastas and hand-stretched pizzas from a wood brick oven. The main courses have the usual Italian suspects, plus a few surprises, like Stinco di Maiale (braised pork shank).
At 29 7th Avenue South is an ode to Campania, where fresh flowers abound among Italian bric-a-brac, pastel touches and Neapolitan blue. The tables are wooden and uncovered above terracotta squares. The menu tilts heavily towards Campania, with a vast menu of Neapolitan favorites with expansive seafood and pizza offerings, though there are delicacies from throughout the peninsula woven in, such as Gnoccho Fritto and Ragù Bolognese from Emilia-Romagna, the classic pastas of Rome, Bistecca, and Pollo Milanese.
The reality is that New York abounds with exceptional Italian restaurants, and the point here is that within a few minutes of one of the most famous ones are three (and certainly many more) that are more than worthy should the wait time at Via Carota be too daunting.
