Supper

As New Yorkers we take it for granted that there are tons of fabulous restaurants close by, but the hard part is deciphering which of these transcend the "neighborhood gem" status and become truly a must hit spot. Supper falls into this later category. Why I never ate here until this week is still a mystery, but it's easy to see why Frank and crew seem to have such a cult following.

Supper is the 3rd restaurant of the Frank Prisinazo (@theunknownchef on instagram) mini empire, including Franks and Sauce. I have yet to try the others, but I can tell you that Supper lives up to the hype. I was recommended this place by some Brooklynite friends who frequent here often and promised it is their "go-to" girls night spot, and I must add to my list. I was not disappointed. It has all the trappings of a repeat place. Often times I love a restaurant, but after one seating I have had my fill and have no desire to return. Supper left me feeling like I could eat here once a week and be very happy and satisfied. 

Supper has a lot going for them. First off, it's a cozy, intimate space on a quiet East Village street. There's dim lighting and a slightly romantic feel making Supper a great option for a date night or the perfect neighborhood gem. The prices are not exorbitant. There's a tremendous Italian wine list. And probably most important, the food is clean, fresh, and flavorful. Let me put it another way. They have a punch card for their famous "spaghetti al limone". This fact alone should be enough to warrant a visit. 

Before I get to the food, a couple of quick tips. Supper is cash only. They are known to do a great job at delivery service (not often the case with good restaurants that offer take out/delivery). It is also vegetarian friendly. It's a good place to know. They don't take reservations and I'm told weekends can get hairy, but their wonderful homey wine bar next door called Sugo Bar, allows you to wait comfortably and have a glass of wine while you wait for your table.

The first sign of a good experience, is the bread. The homemade selection of breads with mouth watering White Bean Salsa here is enough to win me over. Don't fill up on this! I know you want to. We started with the Black Kale Panzanella with whole wheat bread, chopped ripe tomatoes, organic kale, pantelleria capers, basil, evoo, and coarse black sea salt. It's not a pretty salad, but it's tasty and very flavorful. My veggie loving friend ordered the Grilled Vegetable Plate for us to share as well, and as boring as that may sound, it was really just perfection. Beautifully grilled beets, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, green beans and broccoli with extra virgin olive oil and a nice sprinkling of sea salt. Perfect. 

For our main course we got their famous Spaghetti al Limone which was simple and fantastic. Al dente pasta with parmiagiano cheese, lemon, butter, salt and pepper. Refreshing and not too heavy. We also got the Branzino grilled and filleted with a chunky mouth watering tomato sauce with capers and basil. To finish we had the Ice Cream Sundae, with chocolate sauce poured over right at the table. A good ending to a great meal. Supper, I approve. And I will surely be back soon.



Neighborhood: East Village

Bite Mark: ***and a half 

Good For: Date Night, Girl's Night, Romantic, Small Parties (there's a private room that holds 12-15), Veggie Friendly 

Supper, 156 East 2nd Street  212-477-7600 www.supperrestaurant.com