Italian food in Noe

Italy is my spirtual homeland. I love everything about it. The people, the sites, the culture, and most importantly, the cuisine. When I think of comfort food, Italian food is always the first thing to come to mind. I could eat pizza or pasta for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When asked about my favorite meal, it's hands down, a garlicky-anchovy caesar salad with a corner peice of lasagna.. YUM!

So, last Friday, Carl and I went out to dinner in Noe and decided to try Lupa on 24th Street. It was YUUUUU-MMMY! We started off with an antipasti each. I had the the mussels and clams in spicy tomato broth, he had the crostini special. I got the point for this course. The seafood was fresh and the broth was tomato-y goodness. Perfect for dipping the free bread in. I could have eaten just that all night. Then I had one of the best caesars salads I've had in a long while. The dressing was heavy on the garlic and anchovy, which I like, but was creamy, which thankfully did not take away from the flavor of the dressing. Carl had the misticanza salad, which look simple and fresh. Again, I got the point.

For my main course I had the wild boar gnocchi. The gnocchi was soft and perfectly cooked, but the ragu had a hint of sweetness. I think they added too much sugar to balance out the acid from the tomatoes, and the wild boar tasted more like pork than than wild boar. Which isn't the end of the world, it just wasn't game-y enough. I would probably order this again, just to see if they were having an off night, since I like wild boar ragu so much. Carl had the lasagna which was DIVINE! It had lots of layers of pasta, a layer of beef and just the right amount of ricotta and bechemel. On the top layer of pasta was some melted and slightly crusty mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. On top of that was a lovely beef bolognese, with just the right balance of tomatoes, herbs and meat, which is why I think the wild boar ragu was just off for the night. Needless to say, he got 2 points for having the best main course.

The atmosphere was very warm and inviting. There were lots of regulars and families with kids, which gave it that nice neighborhood feeling, more like a big family dinner rather than a cheap diner. Our waiter was super friendly and I suspect he would recognize us the next time we are there. All in all, a great find, and one I'm looking forward to trying again soon.