Tonight I went for a lovely dinner on Wooster Street. I think I've said it before, but I just love Wooster Street. Not so much the actual, physical street, but the idea of what pops in my head when I think of the street. I think of (all in black and white of course) this close-knit neighborhood where everyone knew each other and owned their own business that featured their specialty. I could always imagine a bunch of old people going to Libby's at night after a hard day's work for coffee and pastries. Okay, out of the clouds and back to reality.
Tonight I went to Abate's with DJ, Nicole and Jim, and Josh and Mirissa. 2 out of the 3 couples were able to find parking right in the lot at Abate's. That's really the main reason why I like to go there. The parking lot is for customers of Abate's and Libby's. Can't go wrong. That's my idea of a perfect night. We were seated at a nice large table in the center of the room. The waitress was very nice. We started with a nice adult beverage before we ordered. There were a few menu items I was not too sure about. I didn't know what tortellini alla panna was or fettucine cardinale. Basically they are both dishes in which the mentioned pasta is in an alfredo sauce. I can absolutely not do an alfredo sauce so both of those options were crossed out. I ordered ravioli with a side of meatballs, DJ had chicken parm, Nicole had penne alla vodka, Josh had steak, Mirissa also had ravioli, and Jim had chicken marsala. While we waited for our meals, we were given a tossed salad (family style) and some bread. The bread was pretty good; it was served with butter. Olive oil happened to be on the table but only because Josh has a food allergy and requested oil and vinegar for his salad. The bread was very crunchy but not too bad. The salad dressing was good. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Then our meals came out- all at the same time. I think that is important when you go out to eat. You can always tell the quality of the restaurant by how the food is delivered to you. (*side track alert*) I remember when I went to Emeril's restaurant in Florida, 5 waiters came out at once and put our plates in front of us all at the same time. Now that's what I call class. Mirissa and I both thought the ravioli were okay but a bit bland. The sauce didn't really have much flavor and neither did the ricotta filling. I feel like the ravioli were previously frozen and not freshly made. You could tell because there was an excess liquid in the plate. I added some grated cheese and red pepper flakes but it was still bland. The meatballs; however, were delicious. I might even be so bold as to say they are the best meatballs I have ever tasted in a restaurant. De-lish! These had quite a bit of flavor. It almost tasted like sausage meat was mixed with the ground beef. Out of this world. I wish I had just ordered the meatballs. Nicole also said her penne were bland as well. Maybe their salt jar was empty today and they didn't realize it. Josh's steak was a tad overcooked but he said the seasoning was perfect. DJ didn't really say much about his. He did not wrap any leftovers. Jim ate all of his minus the mushrooms so I take it that his was good. The bathroom is a one-person in case you were wondering. It was in good shape.
We received our bill and all were satisfied. Josh ordered a cocktail and I believe it only cost $5 and some change. In the words of Josh, "Next time we'll come back and just get drinks and meatballs." I usually order the mussels over linguine but tonight I was trying to save some money so I just got the ravioli. I like Abate on Wooster Street. The food is decent, the prices are decent, there's a parking lot, and it's fairly comfortable inside. I think it's the best place to go for a reasonably priced dinner on Wooster Street. I will go back again.
After dinner we walked over to Libby's. That's right people, back it up. We are not leaving our parking spots yet. I've never eaten inside Libby's. Apparently it's a waiter service when you sit at the seats but that just completely intimidates me. I just can't control myself when ordering things in a bakery. You know that I don't have much of a sweet tooth but my eyes wish I did. I ended up ordering a pound of cookies. A mix of pink stars, tri color, and acorns. Simple, delicious, perfect. DJ had a root beer Italian ice, I had a lemon ice (DJ finished), I believe Josh and Mirissa had watermelon ice, and I'm not sure about Nicole and Jimmy. I want to say blue raspberry. Fabulous. Libby's is one of my absolute favorite places to go. I remember loving it ever since I was a little kid. I don't remember who took me there the first time, probably Neil, but I just have this image in my head from when I was quite young and I loved it. Something about it. It's not a beautiful bakery or anything like that. It looks exactly like it did since the first time I tried Italian ice. I thoroughly enjoyed myself tonight. Good food, good company, good parking, good price. Can't go wrong. I absolutely recommend a night down on Wooster Street at Abate's and Libby's. Until my next bite....
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