Petaluma: UES Italian Restaurant with an Updated Image!

After walking by Petaluma (1356 1st Ave., New York, NY) for years on the Upper East Side, I finally decided to try it after it underwent a year of renovations. Something about the new menu and the promotions on the board outside drew me in and made me want to finally try this neighborhood spot. It was definitely catering to a younger clientele than it had previously. 

The $35 All You Can Drink brunch deal was too good to pass up. As soon as my friend and I sat down, we were greeted by a very friendly waitress. She advised us that the unlimited brunch not only included unlimited mimosa, bellinis, and bloody marys for two hours, but that they also had a limited supply of unlimited sangria as well. This was music to our ears! We both decided to start with the sangria to take advantage of it while it was in supply. 

The sangria was very refreshing and STRONG! After just one glass I felt it. This certainly didn't keep me from ordering another round or two of this delicious drink! 

Breakfast Pizza - Bacon, sausage, cheddar, farm egg cream

For brunch, my friend and I shared two entrees. There were so many amazing options on the menu that we couldn't just commit to one. The Breakfast Pizza was a real winner! The crust was crunchy and baked to perfection in the restaurant's pizza oven. The pie was covered in delicious mozzarella cheese with bacon, sausage, farm egg cream, and a touch of cheddar. Every bite was worth it. Nothing was left at the end! This pizza gave me a hint into how good dinner-time pizzas would be when I return!

Cast Iron Eggs Benedict - gnocchi alla Romana, baked hollandaise, packed eggs with bacon added 

The Cast Iron Eggs Benedict was a really unique approach on eggs Benedict. I wasn't sure what to expect, but knew that it came highly recommended from the waitress. I love when a waitress or waiter actually has an opinion on the menu and has tasted the food! The poached eggs sat atop a unique patty, which was called gnocchi alla Romana. It was similar to a polenta cake and was a great combination with the poached eggs. The hollandaise sauce was baked right into the egg, which made the egg extremely flavorful and moist, but not as messy as a normal eggs benedict. We opted to add bacon to this dish, and it was a great choice because it added that savory meaty flavor that every egg dish needs! MMMM!!!

Since I dined here for brunch, I haven't stopped raving to everyone about it. I have wanted to return for brunch for some time, but have been way to busy :( I did go for happy hour one night, and it was chill and relaxing at the bar, with great cocktails and small bites! Definitely not a place to be missed!

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!

Buon Amici : An Italian Go-To

I have been to Buon Amici (238 Central Ave) in White Plains, NY for many occasions. It has been my boyfriend's family's "Go-To" spot for birthdays, family dinners, and just a good meal. You know when you are going there, you will get great service, a delicious meal, and leave feeling stuffed beyond belief! The owner, Chris is always there to greet us, and couldn't be any more friendly to all the patrons at his restaurant. We always know that our favorite waiter, Nick will be the one at our table, and we can count on great service! 

When going to Buon Amici, you NEVER order off the menu. The menu has the traditional Italian specialties that you can order at many Italian restaurants, but the Specials of the day are what you order when you come here! They are always different that amazing! The one thing you can always count on is the Burrata! 

Wedge Salad

I have an addiction to wedge salads due to the blue cheese and bacon piled on top of them! This one was just as good as I was hoping. It actually had Gorgonzola crumbles instead of the normal blue cheese crumbles, with blue cheese dressing to add a different flare to this salad.

Burrata Salad

My boyfriend's favorite item on any menu is the Burrata! The burrata at Buon Amici is hands down, his FAVORITE burrata of any restaurant! We always listen to the specials menu, waiting and hoping they will say burrata, and luckily they always do. A trip to Buon Amici without it wouldn't be the same! It is the creamiest burrata there is, and it just melts in your mouth!

Stuffed Zucchini

At this most recent visit, the specials menu had Stuffed Zucchini filled with mixed vegetables. Based on the description, it sounded like a lot of vegetables, but it was absolutely divine. It was so flavorful and was covered in cheese and sauce, almost like a new take on eggplant parmigiana, but it was Zucchini Parmigiana! I wish I could have some now. This is a dish, I definitely may try to tackle in the kitchen myself.

Almond Crusted Soft Shell Crab with Mixed Vegetables

This year, soft shell crabs were a new thing for me. After trying them for the first time, I could not have enough. I have mostly had them prepared with Old Bay and grilled, or in a buttery sauce, but never have I had them as good as Buon Amici! There were crusted in a light flour, with almonds, and served with mixed vegetables. The sauce they were in was a white wine sauce that was just so flavorful and light. If I could relive this meal, I totally would!

Veal Chop with Broccoli Rabe

The veal chop was flavorful and meaty, that's for sure! We liked the description of two of the dishes from the specials menu, and asked if we could combine them, and Buon Amici was more than willing to accommodate us. We wanted the veal chop from one of the dishes, but wanted it paired with the pappardelle instead of just plain veggies. The pappardelle was supposed to originally be paired with ossobuco, but we really wanted the veal chop instead, and we got what we wanted! :)

Pappardelle Pasta Side (made specially for us)

Chocolate Bomb

For dessert, I am a sucker for a warm chocolate lava cake. I ordered the chocolate bomb, which ended up being just that! It was paired with coconut ice cream, which was soooo refreshing and so delicious!

Pineapple Sorbet in a Pineapple 

Another dessert at the table that was very interesting was pineapple sorbet served inside of a pineapple. Not my favorite, since I am not a pineapple lover, and tend to think its a very sour fruit, but I know that everyone at the table LOVED it!

I highly suggest visiting this restaurant if you are in White Plains. It is low key, casual, and very good for groups. It will be a meal to remember, and one to celebrate a special occasion at. In the night that we were there, there were 3 or 4 birthdays being celebrated. If you go, say hi to Chris for me!