Last night we had our slightly belated anniversary dinner at Convivio
in Tudor City in NYC. Excellent food, wine service (though I only
ordered by the glass), and table service. The $59 4 course prix fixe
is an extraordinary deal for a place of this caliber.

We had some fantastic olive bread, then Betsy had a couple of "sfizi"
(eggplant rolled with ricotta, mushrooms with vin cotto) while I had
the
quail with lentil puree and pickled mushrooms. The primi choices all
looked good: I got rabbit ravioli with mushrooms, Betsy got a
gnocchetti (like gnocchi not potato) with crab and sea urchin. Her
secondi was
lamb chops with beans and escarole, mine was a HUGE Berkshire pork
chop with oyster mushrooms and "spigarelli" greens (lightly bitter,
kind of broccoli rabe meets dandelion). She had a trio of sorbets,
since I don't eat dessert they allowed me to substitute a pair of
sfizi- crostini with chicken livers & marsala sauteed onions, and
saffron risotto croquettes (they said I could have at start or end, I
chose to have them while Betsy had dessert). Food ranged from very
good to extraordinary, mostly the latter.

With this range of food, hard to choose a bottle, so I went with the
thoughtful by the glass list, with some help from the sommelier. All
were interesting:

2006 Mastroberardino "Radici*" Fiano
Light, a little lean, floral, citrus, smoke. Fun and good. B

2006 Dettori Bianco
One of the "orange wines." Hazy, citrus, herbs, orange peel, tannins.
A little nutty note but not overly oxidative, more like a Lopez de
Heredia rose than a Radikon to my taste. Fun wine, I quite enjoyed. B
+

2008 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso
Light, fresh, a little leafy/herby. Good acidity, nice if not as
complex as the Biondi Etna (or maybe the upper end Terre Nere). In any
case far better than any btg selection at 90% of NYC upper end
restaurants. As a bonus, they gave me a little extra pour as I was
running low trying to finish the huge pork chop. B

2005 *Vestini Campagnano Pallagrello Nero
I believe Pallagrello Nero is the grape. Dark color, evident but
supple tannins, dark berry fruit with a little herby/anise note. Very
good match with rare lamb chops. Never hard of this, but will look
for. A-/B+

Solid and interesting list, nice Schott Zweisel stems, all served at
perfect temp.
One of the best nights I've had for a (non-vino-centric but vino-
interesting) dinner for a long time. Pretip bill was $189, I'd call
that extreme value for the level

PS Minor judgemental rant : Some friends recently attended a BYO lunch
there, said wine service was superb. I can definitely see paying
corkage for the kind of wines they served, but in general the wine
list is so interesting here (and reasonably priced) I would generally
just buy off list. While I try not to be too judgemental, I admit to
wondering "what's the point" at a nearby table where they were
drinking Aalto with the Winebid sticker still on it. Didn't seem to me
to especially match food, just an odd choice (who knows, maybe
sentimental reasons?).


Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an
excellent*wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I
wouldn't*drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I
offer no*promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of
consistency.**
*

In article
>,
DaleW > wrote:

> Last night we had our slightly belated anniversary dinner at Convivio
> in Tudor City in NYC. Excellent food, wine service (though I only
> ordered by the glass), and table service. The $59 4 course prix fixe
> is an extraordinary deal for a place of this caliber.
>
> We had some fantastic olive bread, then Betsy had a couple of "sfizi"
> (eggplant rolled with ricotta, mushrooms with vin cotto) while I had
> the
> quail with lentil puree and pickled mushrooms. The primi choices all
> looked good: I got rabbit ravioli with mushrooms, Betsy got a
> gnocchetti (like gnocchi not potato) with crab and sea urchin. Her
> secondi was
> lamb chops with beans and escarole, mine was a HUGE Berkshire pork
> chop with oyster mushrooms and "spigarelli" greens (lightly bitter,
> kind of broccoli rabe meets dandelion). She had a trio of sorbets,
> since I don't eat dessert they allowed me to substitute a pair of
> sfizi- crostini with chicken livers & marsala sauteed onions, and
> saffron risotto croquettes (they said I could have at start or end, I
> chose to have them while Betsy had dessert). Food ranged from very
> good to extraordinary, mostly the latter.
>
> With this range of food, hard to choose a bottle, so I went with the
> thoughtful by the glass list, with some help from the sommelier. All
> were interesting:
>
> 2006 Mastroberardino "Radici*" Fiano
> Light, a little lean, floral, citrus, smoke. Fun and good. B
>
> 2006 Dettori Bianco
> One of the "orange wines." Hazy, citrus, herbs, orange peel, tannins.
> A little nutty note but not overly oxidative, more like a Lopez de
> Heredia rose than a Radikon to my taste. Fun wine, I quite enjoyed. B
> +
>
> 2008 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso
> Light, fresh, a little leafy/herby. Good acidity, nice if not as
> complex as the Biondi Etna (or maybe the upper end Terre Nere). In any
> case far better than any btg selection at 90% of NYC upper end
> restaurants. As a bonus, they gave me a little extra pour as I was
> running low trying to finish the huge pork chop. B
>
> 2005 *Vestini Campagnano Pallagrello Nero
> I believe Pallagrello Nero is the grape. Dark color, evident but
> supple tannins, dark berry fruit with a little herby/anise note. Very
> good match with rare lamb chops. Never hard of this, but will look
> for. A-/B+
>
> Solid and interesting list, nice Schott Zweisel stems, all served at
> perfect temp.
> One of the best nights I've had for a (non-vino-centric but vino-
> interesting) dinner for a long time. Pretip bill was $189, I'd call
> that extreme value for the level
>
> PS Minor judgemental rant : Some friends recently attended a BYO lunch
> there, said wine service was superb. I can definitely see paying
> corkage for the kind of wines they served, but in general the wine
> list is so interesting here (and reasonably priced) I would generally
> just buy off list. While I try not to be too judgemental, I admit to
> wondering "what's the point" at a nearby table where they were
> drinking Aalto with the Winebid sticker still on it. Didn't seem to me
> to especially match food, just an odd choice (who knows, maybe
> sentimental reasons?).
>
>
> Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an
> excellent*wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I
> wouldn't*drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I
> offer no*promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of
> consistency.**
> *

Sounds great and the price. I assume the prix fixe did not include wine
for $59 with that meal. Even with wine for 85-90 without tax is amazing.

On Oct 15, 5:23*pm, Lawrence Leichtman > wrote:
> In article
> >,
>
>
>
>
>
> *DaleW > wrote:
> > Last night we had our slightly belated anniversary dinner at Convivio
> > in Tudor City in NYC. Excellent food, wine service (though I only
> > ordered by the glass), and table service. The $59 4 course prix fixe
> > is an extraordinary deal for a place of this caliber.
>
> > We had some fantastic olive bread, then Betsy had a couple of "sfizi"
> > (eggplant rolled with ricotta, mushrooms with vin cotto) while I had
> > the
> > quail with lentil puree and pickled mushrooms. The primi choices all
> > looked good: I got rabbit ravioli with mushrooms, Betsy got a
> > gnocchetti (like gnocchi not potato) with crab and sea urchin. Her
> > secondi was
> > lamb chops with beans and escarole, mine was a HUGE Berkshire pork
> > chop with oyster mushrooms and "spigarelli" greens (lightly bitter,
> > kind of broccoli rabe meets dandelion). She had a trio of sorbets,
> > since I don't eat dessert they allowed me to substitute a pair of
> > sfizi- crostini with chicken livers & marsala sauteed onions, and
> > saffron risotto croquettes (they said I could have at start or end, I
> > chose to have them while Betsy had dessert). Food ranged from very
> > good to extraordinary, mostly the latter.
>
> > With this range of food, hard to choose a bottle, so I went with the
> > thoughtful by the glass list, with some help from the sommelier. All
> > were interesting:
>
> > 2006 Mastroberardino "Radici*" Fiano
> > Light, a little lean, floral, citrus, smoke. Fun and good. B
>
> > 2006 Dettori Bianco
> > One of the "orange wines." *Hazy, citrus, herbs, orange peel, tannins..
> > A little nutty note but not overly oxidative, more like a Lopez de
> > Heredia rose than a Radikon to my taste. *Fun wine, I quite enjoyed. B
> > +
>
> > 2008 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso
> > Light, fresh, a little leafy/herby. Good acidity, nice if not as
> > complex as the Biondi Etna (or maybe the upper end Terre Nere). In any
> > case far better than any btg selection at 90% of NYC upper end
> > restaurants. As a bonus, they gave me a little extra pour as I was
> > running low trying to finish the huge pork chop. B
>
> > 2005 *Vestini Campagnano Pallagrello Nero
> > I believe Pallagrello Nero is the grape. Dark color, evident but
> > supple tannins, dark berry fruit with a little herby/anise note. *Very
> > good match with rare lamb chops. Never hard of this, but will look
> > for. A-/B+
>
> > Solid and interesting list, nice Schott Zweisel stems, all served at
> > perfect temp.
> > One of the best nights I've had for a (non-vino-centric but vino-
> > interesting) dinner for a long time. Pretip bill was $189, I'd call
> > that extreme value for the level
>
> > PS Minor judgemental rant : Some friends recently attended a BYO lunch
> > there, said wine service was superb. I can definitely see paying
> > corkage for the kind of wines they served, but in general the wine
> > list is so interesting here (and reasonably priced) I would generally
> > just buy off list. While I try not to be too judgemental, I admit to
> > wondering "what's the point" at a nearby table where they were
> > drinking Aalto with the Winebid sticker still on it. Didn't seem to me
> > to especially match food, just an odd choice (who knows, maybe
> > sentimental reasons?).
>
> > Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an
> > excellent*wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I
> > wouldn't*drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I
> > offer no*promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of
> > consistency.**
> > *
>
> Sounds great and the price. I assume the prix fixe did not include wine
> for $59 with that meal. Even with wine for 85-90 without tax is amazing.

http://www.convivionyc.com/home.html

The normal prix fixe is:
either one antipasta or two "sfizi" (hors d'ouerves)
one primi (pasta)
one secondi (meat or fish)
dessert
For people like me that don't do dessert, they offered option of 2
sfizi, antipasta, primi, secondi.

It was $118 for the food, 4 glasses of wine, prices from $9-16
(healthy pours, and as I mentioned he even refreshed my Etna Rosso).
With tax $189, I left $230. There are plenty of second tier
restaurants I could easily spend that much. And the amount of food was
substantial even for me (I'm about 6'2" & 230 and have left tasting
menus feeling hungry)

DaleW wrote:
> Last night we had our slightly belated anniversary dinner at Convivio
> in Tudor City in NYC. Excellent food, wine service (though I only
> ordered by the glass), and table service. The $59 4 course prix fixe
> is an extraordinary deal for a place of this caliber.
>
> We had some fantastic olive bread, then Betsy had a couple of "sfizi"
> (eggplant rolled with ricotta, mushrooms with vin cotto) while I had
> the
> quail with lentil puree and pickled mushrooms. The primi choices all
> looked good: I got rabbit ravioli with mushrooms, Betsy got a
> gnocchetti (like gnocchi not potato) with crab and sea urchin. Her
> secondi was
> lamb chops with beans and escarole, mine was a HUGE Berkshire pork
> chop with oyster mushrooms and "spigarelli" greens (lightly bitter,
> kind of broccoli rabe meets dandelion). She had a trio of sorbets,
> since I don't eat dessert they allowed me to substitute a pair of
> sfizi- crostini with chicken livers & marsala sauteed onions, and
> saffron risotto croquettes (they said I could have at start or end, I
> chose to have them while Betsy had dessert). Food ranged from very
> good to extraordinary, mostly the latter.
>
> With this range of food, hard to choose a bottle, so I went with the
> thoughtful by the glass list, with some help from the sommelier. All
> were interesting:
>
> 2006 Mastroberardino "Radici " Fiano
> Light, a little lean, floral, citrus, smoke. Fun and good. B
>
> 2006 Dettori Bianco
> One of the "orange wines." Hazy, citrus, herbs, orange peel, tannins.
> A little nutty note but not overly oxidative, more like a Lopez de
> Heredia rose than a Radikon to my taste. Fun wine, I quite enjoyed. B
> +
>
> 2008 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso
> Light, fresh, a little leafy/herby. Good acidity, nice if not as
> complex as the Biondi Etna (or maybe the upper end Terre Nere). In any
> case far better than any btg selection at 90% of NYC upper end
> restaurants. As a bonus, they gave me a little extra pour as I was
> running low trying to finish the huge pork chop. B
>
> 2005 Vestini Campagnano Pallagrello Nero
> I believe Pallagrello Nero is the grape. Dark color, evident but
> supple tannins, dark berry fruit with a little herby/anise note. Very
> good match with rare lamb chops. Never hard of this, but will look
> for. A-/B+
>
> Solid and interesting list, nice Schott Zweisel stems, all served at
> perfect temp.
> One of the best nights I've had for a (non-vino-centric but vino-
> interesting) dinner for a long time. Pretip bill was $189, I'd call
> that extreme value for the level
>
> PS Minor judgemental rant : Some friends recently attended a BYO lunch
> there, said wine service was superb. I can definitely see paying
> corkage for the kind of wines they served, but in general the wine
> list is so interesting here (and reasonably priced) I would generally
> just buy off list. While I try not to be too judgemental, I admit to
> wondering "what's the point" at a nearby table where they were
> drinking Aalto with the Winebid sticker still on it. Didn't seem to me
> to especially match food, just an odd choice (who knows, maybe
> sentimental reasons?).

Fantastic description, Dale, which only further cements my decision to
go there when next in NYC. Interesting sounding wine choices, too.
(There is still room at 10/29's amphora wine tasting there, I hear)
I also understand your rant about the wine choice at the neighboring
table, but as you say it's hard to know what motivated the decision.

Thanks,
Mark Lipton

--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:01:30 -0700 (PDT), DaleW >
wrote:


Dale, please forgive my spelling corrections, but just FYI...


> The normal prix fixe is:
> either one antipasta


That's antipasto, not antipasta. It's not before the pasta, but before
the meal (the Italian word for "meal" is "pasto.")


> or two "sfizi" (hors d'ouerves)


> one primi (pasta)


"Primi" is plural. You mean one "primo" (singular).

Primi are often pasta dishes, but don't have to be. Soups are also
primi, as are risotti (the plural of "risotto").


> one secondi (meat or fish)


Similarly, "secondi" is plural. You mean one "secondo."

--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:16:14 -0700 (PDT), DaleW >
wrote:

> Last night we had our slightly belated anniversary dinner at Convivio
> in Tudor City in NYC.


Your meal sounds great. There's a wonderful restaurant in Rome called
Convivio. Is this place related to it?

--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup

p.s. A belated Happy Anniversary to you both, Dale!

Mark Lipton


--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

"Ken Blake" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:01:30 -0700 (PDT), DaleW >
> wrote:
>
>
> Dale, please forgive my spelling corrections, but just FYI...
>

http://xkcd.com/386/

Graham

On Oct 15, 3:16�pm, DaleW > wrote:
> Last night we had our slightly belated anniversary dinner at Convivio
> in Tudor City in NYC. Excellent food, wine service (though I only
> ordered by the glass), and table service. The $59 4 course prix fixe
> is an extraordinary deal for a place of this caliber.
>
> We had some fantastic olive bread, then Betsy had a couple of "sfizi"
> (eggplant rolled with ricotta, mushrooms with vin cotto) while I had
> the
> quail with lentil puree and pickled mushrooms. The primi choices all
> looked good: I got rabbit ravioli with mushrooms, Betsy got a
> gnocchetti (like gnocchi not potato) with crab and sea urchin. Her
> secondi was
> lamb chops with beans and escarole, mine was a HUGE Berkshire pork
> chop with oyster mushrooms and "spigarelli" greens (lightly bitter,
> kind of broccoli rabe meets dandelion). She had a trio of sorbets,
> since I don't eat dessert they allowed me to substitute a pair of
> sfizi- crostini with chicken livers & marsala sauteed onions, and
> saffron risotto croquettes (they said I could have at start or end, I
> chose to have them while Betsy had dessert). Food ranged from very
> good to extraordinary, mostly the latter.
>
> With this range of food, hard to choose a bottle, so I went with the
> thoughtful by the glass list, with some help from the sommelier. All
> were interesting:
>
> 2006 Mastroberardino "Radici�" Fiano
> Light, a little lean, floral, citrus, smoke. Fun and good. B
>
> 2006 Dettori Bianco
> One of the "orange wines." �Hazy, citrus, herbs, orange peel, tannins.
> A little nutty note but not overly oxidative, more like a Lopez de
> Heredia rose than a Radikon to my taste. �Fun wine, I quite enjoyed. B
> +
>
> 2008 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso
> Light, fresh, a little leafy/herby. Good acidity, nice if not as
> complex as the Biondi Etna (or maybe the upper end Terre Nere). In any
> case far better than any btg selection at 90% of NYC upper end
> restaurants. As a bonus, they gave me a little extra pour as I was
> running low trying to finish the huge pork chop. B
>
> 2005 �Vestini Campagnano Pallagrello Nero
> I believe Pallagrello Nero is the grape. Dark color, evident but
> supple tannins, dark berry fruit with a little herby/anise note. �Very
> good match with rare lamb chops. Never hard of this, but will look
> for. A-/B+
>
> Solid and interesting list, nice Schott Zweisel stems, all served at
> perfect temp.
> One of the best nights I've had for a (non-vino-centric but vino-
> interesting) dinner for a long time. Pretip bill was $189, I'd call
> that extreme value for the level
>
> PS Minor judgemental rant : Some friends recently attended a BYO lunch
> there, said wine service was superb. I can definitely see paying
> corkage for the kind of wines they served, but in general the wine
> list is so interesting here (and reasonably priced) I would generally
> just buy off list. While I try not to be too judgemental, I admit to
> wondering "what's the point" at a nearby table where they were
> drinking Aalto with the Winebid sticker still on it. Didn't seem to me
> to especially match food, just an odd choice (who knows, maybe
> sentimental reasons?).
>
> Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an
> excellent�wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I
> wouldn't�drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I
> offer no�promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of
> consistency.��
> �

Great notes on food and wine. What a bargain in this day and age!

On Oct 16, 1:17�am, "graham" > wrote:
> "Ken Blake" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> > On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:01:30 -0700 (PDT), DaleW >
> > wrote:
>
> > Dale, please forgive my spelling corrections, but just FYI...
>
> http://xkcd.com/386/
>
> Graham

:-) I feel your pain.......

On Oct 15, 10:12*pm, Ken Blake >
wrote:
> On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:16:14 -0700 (PDT), DaleW >
> wrote:
>
> > Last night we had our slightly belated anniversary dinner at Convivio
> > in Tudor City in NYC.
>
> Your meal sounds great. There's a wonderful restaurant in Rome called
> Convivio. Is this place related to it?
>
> --
> Ken Blake
> Please Reply to the Newsgroup

Thanks for the spelling corrections, I actually should have known that
if I slowed down and thought (but who wants to think?)

Same owners as Alto (which is northern Italian). Convivio used to be
L'Impero, and was highly acclaimed, but they decided to change name
when they focused on Southern/Central Italy to avoid confusion,

On Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:55:54 -0700 (PDT), DaleW >
wrote:

> On Oct 15, 10:12*pm, Ken Blake >
> wrote:
> > On Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:16:14 -0700 (PDT), DaleW >
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Last night we had our slightly belated anniversary dinner at Convivio
> > > in Tudor City in NYC.
> >
> > Your meal sounds great. There's a wonderful restaurant in Rome called
> > Convivio. Is this place related to it?
> >
> > --
> > Ken Blake
> > Please Reply to the Newsgroup
>
> Thanks for the spelling corrections, I actually should have known that
> if I slowed down and thought (but who wants to think?)
>
> Same owners as Alto (which is northern Italian). Convivio used to be
> L'Impero, and was highly acclaimed, but they decided to change name
> when they focused on Southern/Central Italy to avoid confusion,


Thanks for the info, Dale. I hope I can get to try the NY Convivio
sometime when I'm there, but frankly, I doubt that I'll be able to.

--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup