My team at work love to find reasons to celebrate. Whenever we do, its always an excellent excuse to go out and eat together. This time it was for my coworkers birthday and my bosses going away. After rattling off various Italian restaurants, we ended up picking Il Bastardo. Some of you who know it as the place the City ( a brain dead reality show on MTV) was filmed.
Walking in, the place was very modern, spacious and even had a section in the back for bands and dj's to play.
As we sat down my boss Steph, ordered a bottle of prosecco to celebrate
Less dry than champagne, but just as bubbly!
They brought out olive oil and vinegar for the bread. However the vinegar sank to the bottom and we ended up getting another bowl just for vinegar... pointless that I mentioned this, but hey... its annoying when you are trying to get vinegar, and all you get is olive oil.. you know?!
Complimentary Bread
They gave 2 pieces of bread per person... Crusty on the outside, airy and doughy inside- this was dangerously addictive and hard to refrain filling up on!
Grilled Pizza bread
This was 2 orders, and was topped with grilled mushrooms, peppers and onions with gorgonzola cheese on an ultra thin crunchy crust. As Rachel ray would say.. Delish! The vegetables were soft, and mimicked the cheeses playful texture. The cheese was pungant and salty. But in a good way, one of my favorites of the night.
Price: $10.00 per order of 4 slices
Baked Eggplant
Layers of eggplant with fresh tomato sauce and a heaping pile of stringy mozzarella and parmigiano cheese on top. Yum.. This could easily be a replacement for a meal. The eggplant was soft and melted in your mouth, the sauce...like biting into a fresh tomato. One of my favorites of the night
Price: $10.00
Organic Mista
Some of the girls got the dinner special (served between 4-7 on the weekdays) for 20 dollars, you get an appetizer, main course and dessert. Being girls, they chose salads... The caesar salad looked pretty tasty though!
Caesar Salad
Gnocchi
Carly and Steph ordered this one. It was made with the same tomato sauce as the eggplant, and with pieces of melted mozzarella on top. I stole a couple of bites, not the best gnocchi I have ever had. It could have used some fresh basil and a little more salt, but still satisfying.
Price: $14.00
Pan Seared Jumbo Scallops
Cherry ordered this one, it was in a balsamic reduction with endive and came with a radicchio salad. Looked delicious, but only 4 scallops??!
Price: $22.00
Mixed Grill Seafood
So I guess I was so busy taking pictures of everyone else's food, that I forgot to take a picture of my own! Imagine 2 tiny pieces of fish (one red snapper, one salmon) the size of a baby's palm, 3 little shrimp, and 1 scallop sliced in half. Ripe off? I would say so! Over cooked? Yep. Tasty? Not really. Its okay though, the company I was in, and the delicious appetizers made up for it!
Price: $25.00
Taglierini
Donna ordered this one, it was made with pesto and sun-dried tomato. It was part of the $20.00 dinner special, but they didn't seem to give a lot. I didn't get a chance to try this, but I presume it was very good since before I could bat my eye, it was in her tummy!
Rigatoni Eggplant
Kristina ordered this one, it was made with tomato, eggplant, ricotta and basil. It smelled pretty yummy. This was also part of the prix fixe menu.
Mango Sorbet
This was the dessert of the day from the prix fixe. The fragrance was intensly mango and so was the taste. Not too sweet, but could have been a tad more tart.
Chocolate Mousse Ice Cream
This was served with whipped cream and a raspberry drizzle. Really addicting..spoonful after spoonful, I had to remind myself that other people wanted some too! The raspberry sauce was tart and complimented the creamy chocolate perfectly. The cookie was a nice added crunch, although, not really necessary.
Price: $8.00
Chocolate Lava Cake
Since it was Kristina's birthday, we had to get another super chocolatey cake with a candle! This was a cake like brownie with hot melted chocolate sauce on the inside and a scoop of peanut butter ice cream. Need I explain the tastiness of melted chocolate on top of more chocolate with peanut butter flavor as an accessory?? I don't think so. Did the fat child inside me come bursting out? You can figure that one out.
Price: $8.00
Apple Strudel
Obviously being a table full of girls, a third dessert was necessary. Duh. This was more like apple pie the raisins on steroids. My favorite part of this was the caramel sauce and pie crust dough. Not being a big fan of raisins, I sort of neglected this one.
Price: $7.00
Our Awesome Team
(From Left) Carly, Me, Cherry, Kristina, Stephanie, Ana, and Donna.
It was a happy AND sad day, since Steph was leaving, this was the last time we were all going to get to eat out together. We will miss you Steph!
Verdict: Go for appetizers and drinks, this place is fantastic for large groups and people who are generally claustrophobic. Also the bathrooms are open and unisex, so beware!
Verdict: Go for appetizers and drinks, this place is fantastic for large groups and people who are generally claustrophobic. Also the bathrooms are open and unisex, so beware!
Il Bastardo
191 7th Ave
New York, NY 10011
www.ilbastardonyc.com
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