Date Night @ Lupa Osteria Romana
On the 11th of every month we celebrate our very first date with a trip to a locally acclaimed Italian restaurant (we save all our pasta & carbs for this occasion!).
For the month of July, we checked out Lupa, a long standing Roman Italian staple in Greenwich. Opened by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich's team in 1999, it's actually a little different for us to dine in a restaurant with so much history.
Lupa's pretty crowded, even on a Wednesday night. Even with the romantic ambiance it's a bit hectic, but we got a nice seat tucked in the corner. On a nice evening there's a small patio area in the front that seems nice and protected from the street.
We again went with 3 dishes: Citrus marinated Sardines with Fried Chickpeas, Bucatini All'Amatriciana, and the Heritage Pork Porterhouse with Sweet and Sour Nectarine.
The sardines were, once again, the star of the evening! The fried chickpeas were a great addition to the soft sardines and romesco beneath.
Bucatini is a style of pasta that's hard to to dislike. With the hollow middle, the pasta soaks up that tomato sauce to create an even richer effect. Couldn't tell if the pasta was freshly made, but delicious regardless.
I think for the pork, we liked the idea of it more than the actual execution, but the way the salad on top of the pork was a great balance of freshness with the nicely cook pork chop. Could use a little bit of a harder sear on the pork chop, but that comes down to personal preference I think.
Overall, I'm not sure we'd be back, but it was fun to experience a restaurant that has a decent amount of history with the city itself, in a part of town that just feels like New York. Make sure to make a reservation and that the whole party is there to have a smoother experience!