Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria

The informal offshoot of Il Buco on Bond Street is a perfect lunch spot and needs to be a strong contender to take the visiting family!  The Alimentari (up front) has stellar pork sandwiches and the back of the space is the dining room and wine bar.  In true Il Buco fashion, the restaurant boasts with rustic Italian furniture beautiful lighting fixtures.

The octopus carpaccio was topped with chilis, but maintained a citrusy, light flavor.

Aren't they gorgeous?

One dish not to missed here is the crispy artichokes with preserved lemon.  We kept saying while furiously popping these in our mouths, 'they are like the artichokes served in the Jewish ghetto in Rome'.  Every leaf so perfectly crisped.

Porchetta served with spring peas and pea puree.  Moist and spot-on with the herbs definitely challenging Sara Jenkin's namesake restaurant (which can sometimes be dry).

Although all were tasty, the dish that really made the meal was the Pasta Setaro. Creamy spaghetti with ample salty bottarga and parsley.  Pasta is always Il Buco's strong suit.

Strawberry Rhurbarb crostata with vanilla gelato.  Not too sweet, not too sour, not too great.

Point to Noho

(Five Points, NYC 1827)

The trio of Cookshop, Hundred Acres and Five Points seem to be favorite brunch spots among many New Yorkers. The deep space is gorgeously decorated with ceiling tall seasonal floral arrangements. The lighting is just right. Not too loud. Just average food.


We sit in the very back room with a skylight near all the lovely stacks of freshly baked Balthazar breads. The housemade pork-fennel sausage and poached eggs atop a buttermilk biscuit, roasted tomato sauce and hollandaise fondue was tasty; but the Cookshop Scramble with eggs, caramelized onions, creme fraiche, and chives atop a buttermilk biscuit tastes identical. Fennel has distinct taste with hints of black licorice. I couldn't pick up any in the sausage, but at least it was hearty.


The three eggs in a crock tasted like the cast iron crock, but looked delectable with its slightly charred top with mozzarella baked in the white fluffiness.

This restaurant grouping is fair with heavy dishes to compensate for the lack of flair.

Five Points 31 Great Jones Street
http://www.fivepointsrestaurant.com/