Via Della Pace

In the East Village, Villa Della Pace is cozy and warm. You feel like you're in front of the campfire ... with delicious Italian food and wine on your lap. I mean, they do give you a table. It's just very feel good, you know. The East Village is the best neighborhood in the city for Italian food. I will probably expand on that topic at a later time.

What were we celebrating this unfortunately cold January weekend? Mmm, nothing special - just happy that Justin was visiting the city. Our table shared a nice antipasti misto, with some basics - olives, tuna, roasted eggplant and peppers, grilled zuchinni, and fresh, salty mozzarella. Drank a Vermentino wine that was light, crisp and appley. Ate a rigatoni special dish with eggplant, mozzarella and capers. Liiiight and slighty chunky tomato sauce. I want to be best friends with that sauce. BFF. And with the capers, too - magical, little bursts of salty, lemony mouth spasms. I guess we were all too full for dessert, which is very sad. I always want to go against the grain in those situations, because it is very rare that I will turn down dessert. But I also want people to share in the joy of food and feel a little silly when I am the only joyous one. It looks a little strange when only one person is in sugary raptures at the table.

The place is very reasonably priced, especially when you're short one bottle of wine on your bill. But then again, if you are with highly moraled people, they will correct the waitress and you will still make up the difference without feeling poor at the end.

Via Della Pace
48 E 7th Street
New York, NY
212-253-5803