Uva.....beloved Italian restaurant still packed since 2005!!!

Restaurant Critique
Uva
1486 2nd Avenue New York, NY
Pamela Goldman
Photos: Gerald Feldman

We visited Uva at 9:30 pm for a late night dinner,
which turned out to be a good idea. Since it’s opening
in 2005, Uva has had the stature of being one of
Manhattan’s most loved wine bar restaurants. Often
very crowded by the bar and front room, Uva offers
a year round back patio with a quieter, lovely atmosphere.
An Italian countryside feel to it, this was exactly what
we were in the mood for that evening. With brick
floors and a canopy-like top, the room was surrounded
by clay pots and plants. Cool breezes blew through the
open screen window where we were able to peer out
and see the adjacent trees with their leaves blowing...far
from your typical city dwelling. The dim lighting and
soft guitar music gave this room a romantic
appeal. The staff treated us so wonderfully throughout
our visit that the restaurant had the lure of making you want
to linger until the wee hours of the night. As more and
more people filed out, we were just beginning our
culinary adventure.

Our appetizers came from Uva’s well known tapas-style
menu. We started with the luscious Ricotta Bruschette
laced with black truffle honey. Served on a beautiful
wood board, this was a perfect combination of sweetness
and earthiness from the black truffle. After that, we
shared an order of Polpettine di Vitello which were
mini veal meatballs cooked in a savory tomato sauce
served with grilled ciabatto bread. Wonderfully presented
in a cast iron skillet, these disappeared as quickly as they
arrived. YUM!

For our main course, we shared two dishes. The first
was Coste di Manzo Brasate. Braised short ribs of beef
served off the bone with a pan-seared potato and
rosemary cake. Cooked in red wine, the meat was
lovingly tender and melted in your mouth. Hearty as it
was, the potato side dish complimented it with finesse.
The second dish we enjoyed as well. Vitello Gratin con
Melanzane: Veal scallops topped with Italian eggplant
and soft pecorino cheese in a red rosemary sauce. The
layering effect of the various components was successful
as the three scallops of veal integrated nicely, absorbing
all the goodness.

Now we get to my favorite dish of the evening. This
was a dessert called, Torta di Mandorle. Almond tart
served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.
The tart was served warm and the slivered almonds
covered and infused the soul-stirring dish. Yet
in addition to that, it’s presentation was a work of art.
On the plate were masterful swirls of dark rich
chocolate sauce which still leaves me confounded as
as to how it was so expertly done. I would return
to the restaurant just for this dessert alone, the
edible art that it was. So here’s to a late night
mini-feast done the right way. Bravo Uva!