Barbara Lynch's expanding empire...Drink and Sportello

I just got back from a lovely lunch at Sportello, Barbara Lynch's newest dining establishment which is also conveniently down the street from my office. Sportello is set up as a lunch counter, and it worked in our case since we were a small group of three.

We started with homemade scali bread (at least, I think that's what it's called - italian bread sprinkled with sesame seeds) and their whipped ricotta with figs, olive oil, and sea salt. One of my lunch companions couldn't taste the salt, while the other could - I thought it was rather bland, but creamy, definitely not amazing (especially in comparison to A Voce's appetizer of housemade ricotta in Manhattan that Katie introduced me to). But, the complimentary bread and ricotta was a nice start to our meal.

My companions and I started with the same first course - spicy tomato soup with caraway grilled cheese. The grilled cheese was a nice crispy thin piece of bread with parmesan and caraway seeds (the caraway was very subtle), perfect for dipping into the lovely--and rich--soup. I am a huge fan of the soup! For the main course, I went with the ricotta gnudi, served in a walnut-brown butter-parmigiano sauce, topped with a fried sage leaf. The ricotta gnudi were nice, fluffy (but incredibly rich) pillows of ricotta goodness. I think I only got 8 or 9 ricotta pillows, but it was plenty filling for me, especially following the large bowl of soup. My friends each ordered the papardalle with bolognese - tasty, yet it reminded me of a high-end Chef Boyardee sauce. I think I can make a better bolognese (that post to come later). They each got a large bowl of pasta, a more-than-generous serving size for lunch. I'm ready for a nap now! We couldn't walk out of Sportello without hitting up the take-out dessert counter, and I ate a coffee almond french macaroon on the way back to the office. I have a weakness for french macaroons - discovered them when we got a take-home bag full of macaroons after our Per Se dinner, then got TOTALLY hooked on the ones at Bouley Bakery in the Time Warner Center in NYC - so now, when I see them for sale, I've always got to have one. YUM!

Sportello also had some truffles, cookies, eclairs, cupcakes, and other sweets for sale. There's a small take-out lunch counter/deli as well, but I think I'd stick to Barbara Lynch's awesome dine-in offerings if given the choice between dine-in and take-out. I must confess, Sportello's menu was amazing - we had a really tough time deciding what to order. When--and not if--I go back, I will have to try the mozzarella salad, potato gnocchi, stuffed baked macheroni, bigali, and the polenta!

I also have to mention my Friday evening visit to Drink - I'm so glad I went! Drink is Barbara Lynch's bar (aptly named Drink), and offers only a small selection of beer (including Abita Turbodog) and wine. The main focus is the liquor - in particular, the well-made cocktails that the master bartenders will mix for you. Wai and I walked in and were greeted immediately by the dapper manager (I forget his name, but he was so sweet and thoughtful, engaging us in a conversation about our favorite liquors, likes and dislikes). We had to wait a while for two seats to open up at the bar (but it didn't stop us from getting a drink!), but once we sat down our bartender Misty (sp?) took good care of us. We had a GREAT view of the large ice block from which the bartenders chip sizable, perfect ice cubes for drinks on the rocks. What's the point of having a huge ice cube for a drink? It keeps your drink cold without diluting the liquor - I had a drink on a big cube once at the Slanted Door, and it was great. My whiskey did not get watered down, despite my slow sipping over the course of 10 minutes. (Yes, I'm an incredibly slow drinker. I exalt in delicious, carefully composed drinks!) Wai and I each had a couple Fort Points (their house cocktail), and to mix things up a bit I had a Red Hook and she had a Green Point. I didn't like the Red Hook as much as the Fort Point (note to others, the Green Point is very herbal).

I'm also addicted to the Italian cherries that are served with the Fort Points...a good reason to go back for more! The manager told us that these cherries are sour cherries from Italy (similar to Morello sour cherries here in New England) that have soaked in a liqueur for a while, then in some simple syrup. Drink gets the cherries in big barrels, but they are also sold at Brix - I might have to visit Brix to get my own jar of these cherries.

So, I'm totally enamored with Drink right now. Each cocktail only cost $10 (this coming from a girl who didn't bat an eye at $15 cocktails at Pegu Club in NYC), and the scene was appropriately high-energy without being claustrophobic/meat-markety. Drink also has a short list of savory snacks, but nothing that caught my eye (except maybe the gougeres...) - I'm hoping B. Lynch brings back the swedish meatballs, because I will RUN to Drink to try those.

And if people are wondering, I've been to B. Lynch's other places, and although they all offer different scenes/settings/food/ambience, I think the Butcher Shop is my favorite place to randomly end up (for the antipasto! the steak tartare! the wines by the glass!), but Drink may give the Butcher Shop a run for its money. I also adore B&G Oyster (but only for the oysters, both fresh and fried, unless B. Lynch brings back the Grill Tuesdays during the summer). No. 9 Park is good for a no-holds-barred meal, but I was underwhelmed when Ben and I had their tasting menu (the wine pairings, however, were phenomenal...esp. the Veuve Cliquot Demi-Sec paired with the prune gnocchi - we liked the demi-sec better than the famed prune gnocchi). Although Ben and I do like to talk about the Nantuckey Bay scallop we had that evening, too.