Lupa

Italian dining week has coincided with the arrival of my sister, Cayla. Cayla spent 6 months in Roma, resulting in our shared love of all things Italian. At the off chance I can take advantage of a late lunch, I try to pick a restaurant that doesn’t take reservations or is difficult to secure a reservation. That is why we ended up at Lupa.

Lupa oozes with Italian charm. An exposed brick wall, staff making home made pasta, and Italian wine, everywhere. With shopping and the World Trade Center Memorial on our agenda, we decided to pass on a long, heavy, liquid lunch. As we made our dining choices, we were greeted with large slices of freshly made focaccia bread.

Lupa was flexible with food restrictions and offered a sensational home made, dairy free tomato sauce (which is not listed on the menu) that can be served over Lupa's home made pasta. Our server was attentive throughout our meal and graciously came to our aid to fillet the fish we ordered.

Lupa would be perfect for a date night but is even better for a late lunch, when the restaurant is quiet and rather empty.

What to eat:

The Garganelli in Oxtail Ragu. The oxtail ragu was different than most ragus because it had only a tiny dash of tomato sauce. The emphasis of this dish was the beautifully executed garganelli noodles and the flavorful oxtail. The sauce had a hint of red pepper, which was a welcoming (but thankfully not over powering) kick.

Also, the Orrata was delicious. The orrata was the market fish of the day. The flaky white fish was lightly marinated in olive oil, thyme and rosemary. When the waiter saw our confused faces, he quickly returned and offered to fillet the fish for us. We enjoyed the light fish and quietly rejoiced that we did not have to work through the bones.

Need a warm pasta to fight off this cold spell? Check out my posting later this week for one of my favorite neighborhood spots,

Your foodie friend

Insider tip: Ok, so this doesn’t have to do with Lupa but if you go to Lupa, skip dessert at the restaurant if it’s not too late at night and walk a few blocks east to Georgetown Cupcakes, which just opened in SoHo.  BEST CUPCAKES EVER.