Insieme
777 7th Avenue (at 51st Street; at the Michelangelo Hotel)

Just like that wonderful dining experience at the always-reliable Esca, I needed another sure bet. One of my closest friends is moving across the country, and I wanted to give him one last great taste of New York dining. So I chose the other always-reliable place, Insieme.

The last time I needed this when my friends from London visited, and it was spectacular. And this time it was spectacular as well. We had an early booking as everyone was tired, so we went in before 6pm. With a nice bottle of Sicilian red, we embarked on a wonderful tasting journey.

The place was relatively empty when we came in but it filled up through the evening. We both started with a nice starter; he enjoyed the fish crudo (a sampler ranging from oyster to yellowtail, from scallop to branzino), I had the smoked back cod...oh, that was just fantastic in taste and texture. Mmm...even better than the previous night's Esca crudo feast!

The mains were as awesome as usual. I had my usual lesso misto, which had some excellent cuts of meat once more. Delicate and wonderful. It was so good I honestly don't remember what my friend was eating...mmm...

We were both spent, so we bypassed dessert. As we headed out, we ran into the chef and had a nice long chat with him. What a nice way for the evening to end... And as I said, Insieme is always a sure bet in New York -- as long as you can get a table at this ultra-popular place! Two in a row, wow!

Food: A
Atmosphere: B+
For Lone Diners: A- (*)