Otto- Good Place to get Blotto

Otto is pretty much always insanely busy, which can be accredited to a few things: the Batali name, the NYU-ish location, and the reasonably friendly prices.  Notice that the popularity is not attributed the usual trifecta of food, service and decor. I am lucky enough to have Otto in my neighborhood, and I usually end up there by default.  My most recent journey was on a night when I was feeling so down and sad that Sister pulled out the big guns of attempted happiness for me: pizza and red wine.  Otto is really not the most discreet place for a  semi-nervous breakdown, but if you are doubting if you will ever get married, the plethora of screaming children will either cure you or kill you.  Just in case you don’t know, Otto has some shtick: When you are arrive  (with or without a reservation), you are given a train ticket with a city in Italy on it ( same purpose as a  TGIF Friday’s beeper thing with out the surprising vibration), and you must focus on a large train station like board to see when your destination is announced. Adorable or deplorable is up to you.  While you wait, there are large, high marble tables that you can start your meal off at with some meat and cheese or olives, and there is also a fairly large bar. This bar, in true Batali style, also has a waiting list, so don’t just think you can park your ass on a stool without getting permission first.

Let me cut to the chase: Go to Otto, get tons of wine (glasses, carafes, bottles, whatever), and just get tipsy and eat pizza.  It’s the best way to enjoy this place- the warmth of wine will make the food taste better,  the noise more bearable, and the place more charming.  The food is just never quite as good as I want it to be, and I love Italian food in any form.  The salads are always just lacking a little, the meat and cheese assortments are small, the pastas are never al dente, etc, but it all is good enough after a few cocktails.  The pizza is the real draw here, and it is quite good, but really nothing of note in NYC; my favorite is the Pane Frattau, with features a sunny side up egg in the middle.  The cheese on the pizza is parmesan, not mozzarella, so it is saltier and less gooey than a margherita pizza, and I would actually love another egg on top so that all of the pieces get equal egg-loving, but that is me.  Otto prides itself on its gelato, and it is quite good, but again, nothing to write home about.

The Otto train is not exactly transporting you directly to Italy, but with some wine and pizza in your belly you can get onboard with this place. I completely understand why tourists would be eager to check this place out, but to see what Batali is like without dropping a ton of money, Lupa is a good bet as well.