Restaurant Week Grand Finale - Pt. 1

Nothing really dreadful happened to me at work yesterday. And, yet I was in a bit of a funk as I headed to I Trulli to join my friend Cindy for what was to be my last supper in a whirlwind round of Restaurant Week prix fixe meals.

Walking past Park Avenue Country Club and Blue Smoke on 27th Street, I headed straight into the restaurant's next-door Enoteca (pictured above). The bar seemed a bit crowded, so Cindy and I opted for a table. I scanned the room before I took in the wine list and was pleasantly impressed by the crowd - adult and elegant, but not in the least stuffy. And, I can say the same for the room's decor, as well as the wine bar's staff.

I was beginning to shake off my lousy mood. Wine seemed like it could only help the situation. And, an antipasto selection couldn't hurt either.

Cindy settled on a ruby red glass of Chianti Reserva and I decided to be adventurous and try a flight of crisp Sicilian Whites. A quick scan of the list of classic antipasti on the menu and we readily agreed to share an order of Buffalo Mozzarella with Tomato and Fresh Basil, just to ease ourselves into dinner.

The wines were lovely and were complimented nicely by crusty slices of hearty ciabatta, which we happily slathered with creamy marscapone.

Yes, my mindset was definitely shifting.

Then a glorious plate of rich, tangy, fresh mozzarella with bright red slices of tomato and julienned basil appeared, drizzled with a soft green aromatic olive oil.

Belissima!

I suddenly realized that I was smiling. How long had I been doing that?!?

And, to think, we still had 15 minutes to savor before heading next door for our dinner reservation...