Being of Italian descent, there's only one thing we like more than eating...and that's eating good Italian food. Lidia has always been one of my favorite celebrity chefs with her simple and flavorful Italian cooking and since it's opening in 1993, Becco has been on my list of eatery favorites.
I especially love it at lunchtime, which is much easier to secure a reservation than in the evening with the theatre crowd.
The access to Becco is down a few steps and into a rather large space, which features an upstairs (which I've eaten in during the pandemonium of the holiday season) and a lovely sun lounge in the back. It's bright and cheery and feels like you are eating outside, when, in fact, you are safe and warm inside from the elements.
The white bean spread doused with olive oil and the assorted olives combined with the bread could have been a meal in itself. (But there was no way we were stopping here!). Ashamed to say, we indulged on a second helping of bread - goodbye waistline!
We decided to "split" a salad to satisfy our obligation to be healthy, yet still leave room for more. It was delectable and the dressing was so light, complementing the bitterness of the kale but not overpowering the crunchy green.
Neither of us could decide on a main course, so we decided to each get a different chicken dish and share. Great decision!! Danielle ordered the Pollo al Limone - sautéed boneless, chicken breast with lemon, Cerignola olives, Selina caper berries and sautéed baby spinach. It had the perfect blend of citrus and tartness. I chose to get the Parmigiana de Pollo con Grana Padano - pan fried, breaded chicken breast topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella and Grana Padano.
My apologies for having no photo of this lovely dish - I attacked it way too soon (Yikes!).
In all my visits to Ms. Bastianich's Becco, I've had some pretty amazing pasta dishes!! On this day, we each had Rigatoni with tomato and basil, Fresh Fettucini with Broccoli in an oil and garlic sauce and Mushroom Ravioli in a creamy, savory mushroom sauce.
I was actually "good" for dessert and ordered the Sorbet Trio, but Danielle opted for the Panna Cotta, which she said was delicious!I tell you with all sincerity, we had to roll out of the restaurant! What a great meal! Can't wait for the next dining experience at Becco!!