Nicola's

Saturday 26 January

This was our 22nd anniversary, so in the afternoon we listened to the Met broadcast of La Rondine on the radio and reminisced about our memorable wedding at the opera. 

Then in the evening we went out to Nicola's.  We haven't been there for quite a few years; in the interval it has gone from being a pretty decent Northern Italian place to one of the best tables in the city.  

Our own table wasn't ready when we arrived, and the bar was too crowded for comfort, but the maître d' found us a bench for two, and when she heard it was our anniversary, some complimentary glasses of prosecco.  We didn't have long to wait, and even after 22 years, we enjoyed chatting until we were escorted to our table.

With the help of our nice server Marcus, we chose a wine from the Piemonte - Le Piane Boca 2006, a Nebbiolo blend.  Like a pinot noir, it went with the varied foods we were going to eat, but it had the flavor to stand on its own.  And on the side was Nicola's justly-famous bread basket: aside from local Shadeau bread, all the rest is house-baked, including crisp grissini, soft foccaccie topped with olives or truffle oil, and amazing little round puffs topped with thin slices of potato, onion, or zucchini.

Appetizers were seared scallops with artichokes, pancetta, and shiitake mushrooms, and house-made cavatelli with abundant tomatoey ragout of wild boar. 

For mains, we had a succulent veal tenderloin with extra-meaty shiitake mushrooms on olive oil whipped potatoes, and pan-seared sea bass with trumpet mushrooms and a medley of wonderful other things we can't recall now.  But the flavors were pure and well-balanced, the plates perfectly laid out.

Of course, we had to end with cake.  Since we couldn't have our wedding cake back (Veniero's, filled with cannoli cream), we shared a slice of flourless chocolate cake with gingerbread crumbles, house-made orange marmelade, and a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream, which again, thanks to Marcus, was on the house.

It was a lovely anniversary.  Nicola's knows how to make a special occasion more special, with excellent food and friendliness.