BABBO

Leave the kids at home when venturing into the exciting Italian dining experience of Babbo, one of Mario Batali’s Michelin-rated restaurants in New York. Warm tripe and lamb’s tongue are served either ‘alla parmigiana’ or with a three-minute egg as appetizers, while deluxe ingredients like goose liver artfully find their way into pasta dishes. The ‘Mint Love Letters’—combining mint and peas into a ravioli-like pocket of flavor with red sauce and spicy lamb sausage on top are always winners in the ‘primi’ section of the menu, as well as the Chianti-stained pappardelle with wild boar ragu. For entrées, fennel dusted sweetbreads with sweet and sour onions, duck bacon, and membrillo vinaigrette (made from quince paste, an acidic pear-like fruit) show the level of mastery when it comes to combining a variety of flavors and letting them enhance the product.

With tasting menu options and a bar that opens a half-hour before the dining room each night, this is a place to grab a drink and share a romantic and adventurous meal with someone you love.