Del Posto has turned me into a believer. Bring your parents, bring your clients, bring your significant other. Basically bring anyone who you’re trying to impress. Del Posto has it all: amazing Italian food, world class service and grandiose decor without being stuffy. Just let me tell you, whoever you bring here, you are all in for a treat.
Let’s talk about what got me most interested in going to Del Posto in the first place, Eater’s article on The Making of a 100 Layer Lasagna. Doesn’t that sound like perfection?
*drool*
Just thinking about all those layers made my head spin and I knew I had to try it ASAP. I mean, have you ever even tried making a lasagna? I’m lucky enough if I can make it up to 10 layers, let alone 100! What a work of art!
So while I was a bit hesitant to give this joint venture from two TV food celebs Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich a try (overrated? overpriced??) – Del Posto finally found a way to lure me in. With the promise of a bolognese braised for over 6 hours, layered between delicate sheets of pasta finished off in a pan to give it some crispy texture.
You have the choice of doing either a lunch of dinner prix fixe. We opted to come here for lunch and was lucky to catch it while it was still $39 for 3 courses. Lunch is now priced at $49, which is still completely worth it for the quality of food and service that you get at this 1 Michelin Star establishment.
From the moment we stepped in the restaurant, we were impressed. The restaurant is spacious, with a beautiful bar on one side and the formal dining on the other. As we were seated, our server quickly pulled up a stool for my purse (the little details right?), while the sommelier swiftly helped us pick out a bottle of rosรฉ to go with our meal.
Before I get into what we ordered, I have to call out that our meal started off with a warm toasty bread basket came with the best airy savory lardo that made me forget I was merely eating whipped pig fat (lol). Seriously had to stop myself from killing all the bread and getting too full before the meal even started!!
Antipasti
For our first course, we got the Truffled Beef Carne Cruda ($15 supplement) and Cool Lobster Salad with Burrata & Lemon Pane ($10 supplement). Both were well executed but nothing to especially call out because what REALLY blew us away came next…
Primi
I know I came for the 100 Layer Lasagna, but the dish that will make me come back to Del Posto is this amazinggggg Orecchiette with Lamb Neck Ragu, Minted Pea Puree & Crisped Chanterelles.
This is hands down one of the most unique pasta dishes I’ve had in a while. The lamb neck ragu had such an interesting flavor profile that I’ve never had in Italian food. It was spiced similar to how the Xian province of china treats their lamb – flavored with a bit of cumin, chili and peppercorn. This was well balanced with the minted pea sauce and the spice was mellowed out by the bit of tangy cremรฉ that was drizzled across the dish.
You guys, I will remember this dish forever because of how unique it was. I could eat 10 more plates of this and still want more.
We also ordered the Lobster Ravioli w/ Market Squash, Sweet Corn & Lemon Butter – lobster delicately wrapped in their house-made pasta.
Then of course we have the 100 Layer Lasgana, which isn’t on the menu for tasting during lunch so we had to place a special order for it. Since this is the reason why I came to Del Posto, we obviously had to order.
Given the hype, I don’t necessarily think this dish lives up to my expectations. First, I expected the lasagna to stand 100 layers tall instead of on the side like you see in the picture here. I do appreciate that the sides are pan-seared to give some added texture. The layers of pasta is light and delicate as expected, but not a dish I’m dying to try again.
Dolci
After an amazing pasta course, we finished with two amazing desserts that helped make this meal one of the best I’ve had in Manhattan. We ordered Grilled Semolina Cake w/ Poached Nectarine with Basil Gelato and Butterscotch Semifreddo Melon Agrumata & Crumbled Sbrisolona (is that even a word?).
Oh, did I mention that there was a live piano player who played during the entire lunch service? If that doesn’t scream out – I’m here to impress you! – I don’t know what else will ๐ 
