Dinner and Song at Bar-Bo-Né

On a tip from a client, I headed to Bar-Bo-Né in the East Village for an Italian dinner al fresco. We went on an enchanting evening: the back patio was packed with young couples and people celebrating various events. On more than one occasion, whole tables were breaking out into song while others were being serenaded. Clearly, the mood was merry. The host passed from table to table, making sure that everyone was happy with the food and the atmosphere.

And happy we were. If the encouragement from the impromptu musical wasn’t enough to endorse a wonderful dinner, the food could certainly stand on its own. When dining there, be sure to get the asparagus fries. A battered and fried pile of bright green asparagus arrive piping hot with a cool, tangy dipping sauce. They would be enough to split as an appetizer, but then you’d miss out on the refreshing radicchio and Parmesan salad and the saffron steamed mussels. There are enough mussels for a main course, and regardless of when you order them, you’ll be sopping up the jus with the grilled filone bread that tops the mussel mountain.

For the entrée, stick with one of the pastas. The trofie with pesto reminded me instantly of Cinque Terre, the five small towns on the Mediterranean coast of Italy. And the linguine with clams and pancetta was ideal for the summer evening. I know I’ll be back for pappardelle with braised short rib ragu and I can’t wait to dive into the squid ink tagliatelle puttanesca. As for true mains (secondi), order the seared salmon with spaghetti squash and shitakes.

The patio is charismatic and pleasant that it swayed my dinner guest and I to linger in our seats long after we’d finished our food. We contemplated dessert, but decided we were too full. Instead of dropping a check and trying to turn the table, the host took pride in our high spirits and content dispositions. He brought out two glasses of Muscadet, compliments of the house.

After a half an hour of lounging, we summoned the check. We didn’t want to leave the magical patio, but had late night plans elsewhere. Before we could walk through the restaurant, however, the host saw us out and wished us well into the evening.