Del Posto is fine Italian dining. It has no red checked tablecloths, no "That's Amore" playing overhead, no kitschy communal benches, just pure elegance and grandeur. The menu is a marriage of the Italian we all love (pasta e fagioli and bolognese) and French influenced luxury. The menu leans Italian in its straight forward description of some familiar regional options and French in its sophisticated plating and "just enough" portions. It is, as the cliche goes, a marriage made in heaven.
The wine by-the-glass selection is very appealing. I got the impression any of the wines would compliment the meal. The bottle selection is dizzying, for the assortment of wines, vintages and prices. I didn't really take the time to study it, but I can tell you it is very heavy, if not exclusively Italian. What do I know, though? I like wine, especially white. I am familiar with a lot of different types, not so much vintages or regions. So when I say a wine selection is good, it means, I would be happy with the taste of most of the offerings on the menu and those offerings would not be found on a menu at Chili's/Applebee's or a sports bar, not that I haven't or will never again imbibe those "choice" vintages. Just so you know, I believe white zinfandel is not a wine, it is just crap.
My friend, Anthony, was my lunch partner. Thankfully for him, the "Jacket Required" rule did not extend to lunch (I got away with black jeans). The three course lunch includes a primo, a choice of primi or antipasti item, a secondo and a dolci, all of which can be interchanged, as long as you don't get more than three courses. The primo had more than a dozen choices, three with a supplement or $10 - $15. I had the Cotechino and Anthony had the Roasted Autumn vegetables. I really didn't know what I was getting, I hadn't heard of Cotechino until that day, now I see it everywhere, at the grocery, bodega, green market, deli, in magazines and blogs. Cotechino is an Italian summer sausage, like Hickory Farms, but way better. It was served with a lentil sauce and some mustardy figs. Anthony's root vegetables were presented beautifully with one of each of the roots in attendance with sweet hazelnuts. It may not sound like much, but it was wonderfully flavorful.
For our secondo, Anthony ordered another primi, Pasta e Fagioli. I went for protein, my favorite, duck! Anthony's soup came in a bowl with one piece of pasta (really!), a couple of beans, vegetable pieces and a piece of meat. We took a long look at the bowl, then a long, shocked look at each other and then the waiter poured the velvety broth over the foundation of the soup. My duck was perfectly cooked with a sweet, but not too sweet, Asian influenced sauce. The portions are small, which was OK because dessert is next.
Now, I am not a sweets person, I can go for days without a sugary treat, but I do enjoy a sweet ending to a meal every now and then. We ordered the Tartufo and Tortino. Both were served to us looking like they were first prize at a dessert competion. You hate to destroy the pageantry of the plating, but you have to taste it. It filled us up and finished off our lunch sublimely. To top it off would have been an espresso, but Starbuck's is cheaper.
I would definitely go back. The menu is so varied and exciting. It is definitely worth the trip to west Chelsea. The waitstaff was pleasant and accommodating, but a bit pretentious for lunch. I bet they kick ass at dinner service.
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