Supper

My cousin Jon has decided it’s time he got back to his Midwestern roots and is moving to Chi Town. Jon can always be counted on for a sarcastic comment and will surely be missed so for his last night in Manhattan, we sent him off at Supper, an Italian restaurant in the East Village.

I had heard of Supper when a friend was going there on a date, but I just assumed it was a good low key Italian restaurant. It’s far more than that. This is the place to go for an intimate dinner, whether it’s one on one or for a large group. We were of the large group variety and I have rarely been in a more private yet relaxed setting. Nothing more than a reservation is needed to secure the private room that is four rooms deep in the restaurant. Once in this special room, you’ll have your own bathroom, chandeliers, and the ability to plug in your own iPod to control the music. Once inside, it becomes a dinner party in your own dining room…you know, if your dining room happened to be in Italy and someone else was doing the cooking, cleaning, and serving. Soooo not at all the same thing.

Just about anything would taste good in a close and personal environment like that, but the food happens to be particularly good. When I saw oil and vinegar on the table, I anticipated we would be getting bread. I did not know we would be getting a white bean topping with it. The white beans were small, like pigeon peas, and were prepared with a dash of red pepper flakes and plenty of garlic. Thank goodness there were no boys to impress because I didn’t want bad breath to keep me from eating three pieces of bread with these beans.

I have only recently discovered burrata, but soon after I learned about this remarkable cheese, I found out it’s hard to find it on a menu. Just my luck. I watch this cool cheese being made on a cooking show and then don’t get to eat it. What a tease. I was so excited to see it on the menu that I ordered it as my appetizer without hesitation. Basically, burrata is creamy mozzarella inside a firm mozzarella purse. As Matt described it, it’s a mozzarella turducken. It is fabulous. So fabulous, the restaurant imports it from Puglia each week. You break the outer mozzarella layer and the inside oozes out like egg yolk. The burrata was served caprese style and really could have served three or four people as an appetizer. Because I didn’t realize how large it was going to be, I also ordered some of the fresh pasta. I chose the tagliatelle with a tomato sauce and prosciutto and found it to be as good as can be. Whenever you’re dealing with fresh pasta, it becomes very difficult to mess up. They were smart not to oversauce and just let the pasta shine.

Downside: it’s cash only. This is not something I typically balk at, but when appetizers are around $15 and entrees average $20, the policy seems excessive. Lucky for Supper, I enjoyed the food and atmosphere enough that I will happily stuff my wallet with enough cash in advance to look like a stripper who just left work.