By Chrissy Iley
I was staying in New York recently at a friends apartment. We wandered downstairs for a casual dinner on the first floor of her building. It had recently been revamped when taken over by Bobby Vans, a small, high quality chain. I don’t use that chain word disparagingly because it has a unique and very well curated menu. Italian food to perfection.
The atmosphere is full on Italian, bustle, tussle, busy. Giant cocktails and giant pasta, just what I love.
On my first visit my friend had the tuna tartar in sesame with extra ginger, light tasty and delicious. I had the penne vodka, I always feel penne vodka is a litmus test. I had it on four consecutive days; every day of my trip. Could it have passed any higher? No.
The penne was just fat enough, just perfectly cooked enough, fleshy but not heavy. The sauce was just pink enough, just coral enough, just tangy enough with a creamy sweet aftertaste that kept me coming back for more. While I had my same dish I watched other people devourer fabulous looking pizzas, pastas with hazelnuts and white bolanaisse, Chilean sea bass was a big favorite and someone ordered creamed spinach to go with it. I ate most of his creamed spinach and had it as an appetizer for the next three days. It was completely fabulous.
The atmosphere is buzzy and peppered with the odd celebrity; on the night that I was there, Caitlyn Jenner was dining. On the whole it is a lively crowd but I don’t go there for the crowd, but for the penne. I had a preflight French Martini which was so strong it almost knocked me out for the next six hours. It is a proper Italian place, the cocktails are full on and no shortage of extra cheese.
Pastas from around $14, pizzas around $14, Sea Bass $27
Bobby Vans located Central Park South