To say that it has been a while since my last post would be a severe understatement! With the holiday season (not to mention all the December/January birthdays) and a hectic work schedule, writing was placed on pause for a bit. However, during this hiatus, there was lots of eating, picture taking and discovering new places!
Rubirosa in Nolita was amongst these places. I took my dear friend Kenzie there for her birthday dinner (picked by her). It was the middle of the week and we showed up without a reservation at about 7:30. There was a half-an-hour wait, during which we accomplished some sale-tastic shopping! We were seated in the back of the long and narrow, dimly lit restaurant, and to my delight, right by the pizza kitchen. Starving, we almost immediately knew what we wanted, especially since we had both perused the family style menu, ideal for sharing, online. Our meal began with two pints of beer and some fresh house bread and olive oil. Next came our bruschettas: one Tomato and the other, Mushroom, the house special that night. Both, while equally delicious, were polar opposites. The Tomato with cherry tomatoes, baby mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of balsamic was a light basic done right, while the Mushroom with goat cheese, parmesan, pine nuts, and a combination of mushrooms, was dense, creamy and more filling.
Our main course consisted of a pasta and a pizza. We shared the Ravioli, with ricotta, butternut squash, brown butter, and sage and a half classic and half vodka pie. The Ravioli looked like little pieces of the sun, with a green rim. The generous drizzle of balsamic on top added a ton of flavor to the mildly sweet, smooth-centered, al dente pockets of sunshine. The thin and crispy pizza with fresh mozzarella took me back to my semester in Rome. I preferred the simple and fragrant sauce in the classic portion of the pie over the slightly above average vodka sauce. A detail that we really appreciated was the plate of spices that accompanied the pizza, three tiny dishes, one with salt, one with crushed red pepper and one with a blend of dried Italian herbs (basil, oregano, etc.).
Ravioli (close-up), pockets of sunshine
No birthday celebration would be complete without dessert. We chose from the sobet and gelato selections, a scoop of the salted caramel gelato, vanilla gelato and the apple sorbet. The blend of the three, along with the wafer on top, made for an apple-pie like conconction. The salted caramel gelato was our favorite, while we were indifferent to the other two. Because our host had forgotten to place a candle in the dessert, like I had requested, she brought us a piece of the tiramisu to make up for it. Full as we were, we did manage to try a spoonful or two of the standard classic.
There is nothing that makes you say “wow” about the carb-flled Rubirosa. However, it is a comforting place, perfect for catching up with a friend, that serves up solid food accompanied with great service.
Recap: good service and food; spacious and warm atmosphere; reasonably priced; vegetarian friendly; lots of options.
Food Tally: Beer, $7/glass; Bruschetta, $3 and $4; Ravioli, $15; Pizza, $23; Sorbet/Gelato Trio, $8. Total w/o tax = $67.
Score: 3.25/5
Address: 235 Mulberry Street, between Prince and Spring Street, NYC; www.rubirosanyc.com
