An evening with Scott Conant....literally

Last night could have been one of the best, most memorable nights in New York for me...in my entire LIFE. Laur, Erica and I trekked west to 14th and 9th - Scott Conant's latest venture, Scarpetta. Now, Scarpetta (which literally means to wipe your plate clean with bread) is one of those restaurants that you should hate since it's new, trendy and has a notable chef thus making it a very impersonal, almost abrasive experience. Not Scarpetta. From the moment we walked in and got drinks at the bar, Giovanni, the maitre'd, informed us our table was not yet ready but he would keep an eye out and not forget about us.

Perched on our banquette, we sipped our crisp Mueller-Thurgau and devoured all of our menu options. With the assistance of our new friend (and waiter), Andreo, our meal could not have been more perfectly well-rounded.

We started with L'Impero's old stand-by: creamy polenta with a wild mushroom broth spooned over top to create a smooth yet lovely texture. We totally Scarpetta'ed that dish - by the end of the first course, we were using the bread to soak up any last bits. We also devoured the tiny, tender short ribs - amazingly rich and succulent served atop a vegetable and faro risotto. My only complaint: more beef, please! Finally, after reading about the tuna "susci" with marinated veggies and some preserved truffles (couldn't taste anything truffle-like) with some microgreens on top. Honestly, don't waste your time. Go for the polenta and you'll be one happy little clam.

The pasta choices were almost as easy to select since Andreo has been working with Scott for years and knows all of the dishes like the back of his hand. We went for the obvious choice: duck and foie gras ravioli that was heavenly - a rich yet balanced marsala reduction over the perfectly shaped homemade pasta. We also ordered the tagliatelle with a lamb ragu and peas - another deliciously decadent carb option. HOWEVER, taking the pasta cake was a spaghetti with light marinara sauce doused with parmigiano reggiano, compliments of our new friend Chef Scott. Spinkled with fresh basil, this simple pasta dish was our hands down favorite.

A perfectly seared scallop entree rounded out course numero dos (at this point, I was asking for a fork lift to transport us back to the East side).

This brings us to dessert. Now, at this point, we're two bottles of Mueller-Thurgau deep and really devouring anything Scott and Andreo throw our way. We asked for one dessert - whatever they recommend was the best was the one that we would try. A parade of desserts soon arrive: a chocolate cake with hints of burnt orange, espresso and caramel ice cream. I kid you not, this is one of the best desserts I've ever had. A gooey inside, a firm yet rich outer crust and the cold smooth ice cream really sealed the deal. The coconut panna cotta was not as much up my alley (no chocolate) but Laur and Erica gave this one their seal of approval. Finally, the chocolate and vanilla parfait with a mini hazelnut milkshake and biscotti was placed directly in my line of fire and I couldn't say no. The cool, smooth mousse-like texture was played up with some espresso crunchies and blackberries. To enhance the experience, I chased the heaping spoonful with the milkshake. To die for.

Throughout the meal, Chef Scott would pop by to "check in" on us and see how we were liking the food. Obviously, I couldn't find the right words and just nodded in amazement the entire time. GOOD NEWS: BRUNCH IS SOON COMING TO SCARPETTA! We're not talking about "waffles or pancakes," says Chef Scott but really good "eggs with stewed tomatoes." Sounds risque - I LIKE IT. Since we had SUCH a positive experience and were treated like actual people, I ended up double-booking my birthday party there for next month so count your lucky stars that you receive an invite :)

Congrats to Scott Conant on this venture - you are seriously the new Mario Batali!