Bar Pitti

268 6th Ave, nr. Bleeker

Bar Pitti was putting out Tuscan fare before rustic Italian became all the rage in Manhattan. I guess I was slow on the uptake too, because I made my first visit to Bar Pitti just recently. I took my parents there, figuring it was a good mix between downtown cool and old-school tradition. I was right. At first, my parents were confused by the menu - to their credit the menu is short, offering no more than pasta and panini - but they came to when the waiter (who was quite chipper, friendly) swooped in with the chalkboard. He elaborated with great tenacity on the specials scribbled on the chalkboard (my mom and I usually ask follow-up questions); everything sounded great. We all ordered from the specials list, but I'll only comment on two of our three meals. My dad didn't order anything worth reviewing - he DOESN'T graze.

My mom and I decided on the special vegetable soup, similar to a ribollita our waiter said, but lighter with more vegetables and no soaked bread (and dairy-free). It was sooooooo good: big chunks of kale, whole pieces of carrots, zucchini, some stewed tomatoes, plus chickpeas and white beans. The soup was well-seasoned and warming.

To follow, my mom had grilled chicken topped with endive and sundried tomatoes. Let me brief you by saying that my mom orders chicken everywhere and every night. Even she could not stop singing praise for that plate of chicken. She insisted I taste it - I hardly ever order chicken - but she was right. The chicken itself tasted like sundried tomatoes as well as so many different herbs. A bite of chicken together with the cool, crunchy endive and the oily sundried tomatoes admittedly made for a delicious bite.

I had the whole-grilled striped bass with a side of broccoli rabe (the chef intended for zucchini to be the side-dish but the waiter was very amenable to my small preference). The whole fish was brought out for my viewing before it was fileted. It was a very nice medium size fish (still I couldn't finish it), with white flesh and lots of lemon juice. When they brought it back out to me it had been fileted beautifully; no head left on the plate and most importantly, no scales or bones in sight. Honestly, I've never had such a perfectly fileted piece of fish.

And it was also very delicious; not at all fishy, it was soft and had absorbed the flavors of the grill, the lemon juice and the slices of garlic. The side of broccoli rabe was done perfectly too, cut small and sauteed until soft but not too soft, garlicy but not too garlicy.

My parents were happy, which made me happy (so did my food). I had to consult them on this rating. After all, they paid (fyi: it's cash only), and together we agreed that Bar Pitti gets 5 carrots!

- The Grazer