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BELLAVITAE -- 24 Minetta Lane (212-473-5121)--Bellavitae, a resolutely authentic eno-gastronomia artigianale set deep in the dwindling heart of the Village's Italian quarter, is the sort of place that inspires fantasies. Surely those two handsome men, huddled over a scrap of paper at the end of the bar, are plotting a wine-tasting route from Montepulciano to Pienza or debating the finer points of grandmother's ragu recipe. Further investigation reveals a receipt from Staples; they're talking about printer paper. But doesn't everything sound romantic in the language of Fellini and opera?
The culinary corollary, and Bellavitae's founding precept, is that things taste better because they're from Italy. And so the menu teems with meticulously sourced native delicacies--Campanese mozzarella di bufala; prosciutto di Parma Langhirano "Gran Riserva" D.O.P.; chestnut honey from Lake Como that Cristiano, the Roman-born manager, says "really takes me back in time"--and the all-paesano wine list concentrates on small indigenous vineyards. The vinegar ...