Otto & Retipping Shoes

Life is the funniest thing I know. You must already be aware that life encompasses the strange and odd and wonderful all at once. But I never cease to blink in wonderment each time it takes me by surprise. Enroute to the shoe repair shop with Steph, we came across a fact. It was an utterly unexpected fact revealing a surprising side to an individual. That fact tripped upon another, shedding light upon something we had previously agreed would never be answered. It's ridiculous how small and crazy, absolutely crazy, this world is. And with all that considered, after colliding into a fantastical coincidence the day prior, life is indeed wonderful...or as Steph decided after we dropped off our heels to be retipped, "I love life!"

Hours before, I was at Otto for a long and lazy lunch. I love Otto as much as I love life. Now, now you might think that is exaggerated, but no, it is the honest and complete truth. I love Otto most in the afternoons, weekends or weekdays. I love it just the same during peak dinner hours, though get irritated by the crowds. I've never been a fan of crowds or big groups in general. Dining in big groups is the worst form of dining.

On that afternoon I nestled into the corner bar seat closest to the windows and counted exactly five other people seated along the bar. One couple sharing gelato and a bottle of wine, a young boy around 21 with the Olive Oil Copetta, and two older males dining alone, one in a business suit, and another in a white button down and jeans. I browsed the menu for items anew and realized that I had not yet tried the brussel sprouts before! And because what has never been tasted must be had, a dish of the brussel sprouts vincotto was soon set in front of me. I tucked each half away, one by one, over the NYT and Daily News, which bore the dooming proclaimation of "777" in bold letters.

Then I moved on to the carbonara which only gets better with every visit. The one pasta dish I would gladly eat on a daily basis. Rich, eggy and marked with salty bits of pancetta, the carbonara is better shared, but unless you have to worry about slinking into a corset post-lunch, there's no reason you can't down it alone.

And then dessert. The caramel coppetta is my current affair. A deep wonder composed from a base of chocolate crumbles, a generous round of caramel gelato and coffee bourbon sauce. Sliced bananas, buttered pecans and a lush pipe of mascarpone crema brought dessert and that midday meal to the sweetest, most satisfying end possible.

Otto
1 Fifth Avenue
NY, NY 10003
(212) 995-9559