Dinner at Novita, Always a Treat-a

If you find yourself walking through Gramercy, Novita may seem like your average local spot; a few cafe tables on the outside on the sidewalk, a dining room with tables packed right on top of one another, and generally busiest in the earlier dinner hours. It wasn’t until Sam Sifton gave this local spot 2 stars that we ever cared to try it, and he actually called people like us out on this in the opening lines of his review.

Being a Jersey girl, I cannot ignore a good Italian spot, so Novita quickly jumped to the top of my list for not only offering my favorite cuisine, but also being a spot close enough to walk and easy enough to get a reservation. The first time I walked into Novita, I was surprised to find that the bar there doesn’t really accommodate those coming for a pre- or post-dinner drink. Like the rest of the subterranean restaurant, the bar is small enough for only a stool or two at the end where you can normally find the host seated and greeting guests. Since the Pants’ first dinner here over a year ago, we have back multiple times for above average, low-key dinners on the outskirts of Gramercy Park –  a convenient meeting spot to anyone in Manhattan.

Having been to Novita a handful of times, I can attest that the entire menu is solid, and I haven’t had any bad experiences there expect for the lax service – which isn’t always a bad thing. Novita quickly became one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the city (ONE being the operative word), and I have since sent countless friends and colleagues there as well since it never disappoints – actually quite the opposite, as it usually exceeds any and all expectations.

The starters are a mix of traditional Italian appetizers (burrata with tomatoes and basil, eggplant parmigiana, mixed greens), and a unique take of some simple salads – the mixed mushroom salad came with sliced parmigiana cheese, and the mushrooms had a distinct but simple smokiness that let the flavors of the vegetables stand out with not much else accompanying them.

A recent visit offered a special of homemade spaghetti with black truffles, which the entire table devoured shortly after it touched down on the table. I have to admit, I am often guilty of carbo-loading here because every one of the pastas dishes is so tempting that there’s often a shared appetizer portion and then my own choice for dinner.

Although the whole wheat penne with grilled eggplant and ricotta wasn’t the Norma of my dreams, I think the fault was mostly because as a “whole,” this type of pasta is mushy – go hard or go home, girls! The linguine with baby clams and zucchini is rather simple but incredibly fresh, cooked in olive oil and garlic, however I always request an extra kick be added with some red pepper flakes (in my eyes, spice is key).

The veal milanese is really the only exception I’ll make for the pasta, and although this isn’t a hard dish to mess up, they chop up the arugula really well and the tomatoes are always the brightest I have seen which just makes this traditional dish more exceptional. Their fish specials are always spot on, and I recently enjoyed the potato crusted halibut and red snapper livornese which were both cooked perfectly.

After falling into a pasta coma, I am usually too full for dessert, but it gets even better – they have a baked alaska that brings me back to my childhood (although not prepared tableside), and is really worth the extra calories, and at that point, there’s no use in even trying to be righteous!

Although you are sometimes left wondering if your waiter has left the building, (except when they bring you out additional bottles of water and wine you didn’t order, basic Pants Rant) I can promise that Novita will become your next go-to spot: for a work dinner, a date, early dinner with your parents, a nasty Friday night meal, catching up your best friend you haven’t seen in months… oh wait, I’ve covered all those in the last 4 months!