Otto : So glad I finally made it here! And I will definitely be back!

I have been wanting to check out Otto (One 5th Ave., New York, NY) for probably about 8 years! I had tried to walk in a while back and there was a long wait, so we decided to skip it. Not sure why it had taken me so long to finally make it back, but I am so glad that I did. 

Everything at this place was done with perfection from the moment we sat down till the moment we left. 

Olives (gaeta, sicilian, alfonso), Funghi Misti

We ordered the olives and mushrooms to start for the table. I cannot tell you about the olives because I don't eat olives, but the assortment they gave was pretty nice instead of just one type of olives. There were 3 kinds of olives. The mushrooms were cooked and marinated to perfection. Also, there were a few types of mushrooms mixed into the bowl for a variety of textures and tastes which I thought was very special, as I don't often get to eat mushrooms since my boyfriend is allergic to them and we share most of our food.

Baby Spinach, Ricotta Salata & Truffle Honey

To start, my boyfriend and I shared the Baby Spinach, Ricotta Salata, and Truffle Honey salad. This salad was so divine. The truffle flavor was very present and made each bite better than the last. The croutons had a nice crunch and the ricotta was a nice addition to all the other flavors of this salad. I had never thought of including truffle oil into a salad, and I think I may have to try this at home after this experience!

Margherita D.O.P. - Tomato, bufala mozzarella, basil

For dinner, we shared 3 pizzas and 3 pastas for the table since there were 6 of us. This was the best idea because I got to try a little bit of everything :) 

For the first pizza, we ordered the Margherita D.O.P., which was your standard tomato, bufala mozzarella, and basil pizza. Although, there was nothing standard about this pie. It was full of flavor with just the right amount of fresh sauce and bufala mozzarella. This was my favorite pizza because of the sauce and basil flavor. Sometimes, the simplest pizzas are the best, and in this case, it was true. 

Summer Truffle, Guanciale, Egg pizza

For our second pizza were ordered from the specials menu. We ordered the Summer Truffle, Guanciale, and Egg Pizza. There were fresh slices of truffle and salami on the pie with a sunny side egg on top. This was my least favorite pie, which was surprising since I LOVE truffle. It didn't have the truffle flavor that I love from truffle oil, since the only truffle on the pie was the actual truffle slices which always tend to be less flavorful than the oil. I also did not love the egg on top of this pizza. Since I got the last slice, mine only had the egg white on it, and I did not get any of the yolk. I am not sure if it would have made a difference, but overall, the margherita was 1000 times better!

Prosciutto Arugula Pizza - Tomato, Cacio, Mozzarella, Crudo, Arugula 

Our third pizza I loved! We ordered the Prosciutto Arugula Pizza. It was generously covered in fresh prosciutto with a layer of arugula on top. I loved the crunch of the arugula against the soft salty flavor of the prosciutto. I would definitely consider ordering this pie again!

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara - Pancetta, Scallions, Black Pepper, Egg

For our first pasta we ordered the Spaghetti Alla Carbonara. It was a spaghetti that had pieces of pancetta, scallions, black pepper, and egg in it. It was extremely flavorful and if I could have had seconds on any of the pastas, it would have been this one. It was definitely my favorite because of the pancetta flavor and my love for scallion on anything! Also, the sauce was creamy without being too creamy.

Taccozzette Con Stracotto - Braised Pork Shoulder, Tomato, Basil

For our second pasta, we ordered the Taccozzette con Stracotto, which was braised pork shoulder, tomato sauce, and basil on a pappardelle type of noodle. This dish had very tender pork shoulder in it, which made it very delicious, but lacked an overall great flavor as far as the tomato sauce is concerned. I didn't feel that the sauce had enough going on and the flavor didn't stand out enough. I normally tend to prefer red sauce over cream, but the Spaghetti Alla Carbonara still wins!

Goat Cheese Agnoloti - Lemon Butter, Fennel Pollen

For our third pasta, we ordered the Goat Cheese Agnoloti. This was the dish I selected for the table and was expecting to be the most exciting due to the goat cheese aspect. I was expecting chunks of goat cheese versus the sauce actually being made of goat cheese. This I had never seen before. It was very unique, flavorful, and delicious, but a little too creamy if you have too much! The Spaghetti Alla Carbonara still wins!

Salty Peanut, Dark Chocolate, and Olive Oil Gelati 

For dessert, we were told ahead of time by friends who have been to Otto before that the Olive Oil Gelato was a must order! Because of my love for peanut butter, and my boyfriend's love for dark chocolate, we also decided those were a must try as well. On the dessert menu, you could order 1-3 kinds of gelato in one serving, which I loved because we could have variety. The salty peanut gelato, tasted exactly as it sounded and was amazing! Definitely would order again. The dark chocolate was rich and delicious as well. The most interesting gelato was the olive oil, which I have never had before. It was so unique and refreshing, and definitely something I must have again!

Black & White - Milk Chocolate Chip & Creme Fraiche Gelati, Hazelnut Croccante, Chocolate Sauce, Caramel Creme

Because of confusion with the wine we ordered during dinner, the waiter also brought our table an additional dessert on the house, which was extremely nice of him. We had ordered 2 bottles for the table of a certain brand, and the waiter had mistakenly brought us the same brand, but different year of the wine. When we ordered a 3rd bottle later, a different wine was brought to the table, which actually was the one we originally ordered. Oddly, the kind that was substituted in the beginning was less expensive and we loved, so we decided to stick with the less expensive wine. 

The dessert he brought us was the Black & White, which was milk chocolate chip & creme fraiche gelato, with hazelnut brittle pieces, chocolate sauce, and caramel cream. This dessert was so rich and luxurious, that we all dug into as fast as we could. MMMM 

My experience at Otto was amazing, as the food, ambiance, and also service were all top notch. I definitely hope to return again soon to enjoy more of the fabulous margherita pizza, pasta and olive oil gelato! I now know why this place is many people's favorites!