Becco

One of the great Italian restaurants of the immortal Lidia Bastianich, Becco is a fantastic place to hit on a moment's notice to get some great pasta on a reasonably low budget. The always packed juggernaut of Italian food is conveniently located in the pre/post theater district on 46th St between 8th and 9th Aves.

Best known for their nightly special, the "Sinfonia Di Pasta", Becco offers a huge selection of Italian classics. Their trademark dish is an immense Osso Bucco, however the Sinfonia is the way to go if you want to gorge for a low price. It begins with a choice between Casear Salad or a sampling of various Antipasti, including marinated vegetables, cheese, and fish. Then you receive unlimited tableside service of three daily rotating pastas. On this particular evening I enjoyed Spaghetti with Tomato and Basil, Rigatoni alla Bolognese with Fresh Peas, and Spinach Ravioli with Butter and Marjoram. Fantastic! The key is to have them completely fill your plate up at the end of the meal even if you're full, so you can take the leftovers home.

Normally the above would be more than enough, but tonight they were offering an appetizer special of Burrata! Of course I had to jump at the chance to enjoy this rare Italian specialty. Burrata is quite simply a pouch of fresh mozzarella stuffed with additional shreds of cream-soaked mozzarella. The pouch is tied at the top and the interior oozes out when cut. It must be eaten within 24-48 hours, so this delicacy is quite rare indeed, and if found in the U.S. it is typically an overnight import from Italy. Well, needless to say it was insanely delicious, served atop a piece of garlic toast and sauteed broccoli rabe.

One final note that makes Becco more than worth while is the $25 per bottle assortment of great wines. Also, despite the sardine-can-like degree of crowdedness, I have never had to wait more than a few minutes for a table.