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“Scarpetta”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Italian	MeatPacking	Moderate	Great

I am getting old. And it’s not just the number of years that I just celebrated (that would be 39) that’s making me feel this way. It’s that I am starting to get cranky about things that never used to bother me. For instance, the Meatpacking District. I hate the place. It’s a mess over there. If I had my way, I’d write a new zoning law and send it over to Mayor Mike. It might read something like this: “Whereas, The Meatpacking District has been stripped of its soul with the closure of Florent and the wild propagation of useless nightclubs and scene-driven restaurants; Whereas the people of New York City have suffered enough noise and traffic, we hereby declare a moratorium on new restaurants including clubs, bars, lounges, in the area known as the Meatpacking District.”

Yes, that’s what I’d like. No more clubs, no more bars, and no more nothing. It’s saturated. Done. Please, save it from itself, if that’s even possible. I hate the crowds and the noise and the frat boy/naughty-girl atmosphere. Even the fringes are getting sucked into the soul-free fray, as I discovered during my visit to Scarpetta, a beautiful new restaurant from Scott Conant, the three-star chef known for his modern Italian fare at L’Impero and Alto.

When I had dinner there last week with Jamie and Kiri we found the airy modern bar room pleasantly crowded, the long smooth stretch of Mahogany bar seated with cozy couples and happy friends sharing bowls of pasta and bottles of wine. The sidewalk patio, decked out in pretty umbrella-shaded tables, was buzzing as well, on a nice warm summer night.

Once we made our way into the dining room, however, things changed. The room, designed by S. Russell Groves, is laid with hardwood floors and anchored by a glass wine wall. It’s a smart and handsome dining room that’s topped by an retractable glass roof that allows the night sky to fill the room through the heavy rafters of the centuries’ old beamed ceiling. It’s a stunning room lit with bare bulbs and lined in leather banquettes so it feels modern but that ceiling keeps it anchored in the past. It’s a great juxtaposition. The problem is that with all that wood and glass, the room’s acoustics rival that of the roar of a jet engine. It’s an issue management is trying to fix, but our waiters could not hear us—our order for cavatelli was heard as tagl ... [more, click below]

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Posted: June 22, 2008

Other restaurants in MeatPacking :
+ Paradou   + Florent   + One   + Bivio   + Spice Market   + Ono   + 5 Ninth   + Fatty Crab   + Del Posto   + Morimoto   + Los Dados   + 5 Ninth   + Merkato 55   + Scarpetta   + The John Dory   + The Standard Grill   + Bill's Bar & Burger   

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