Food Find: stuffing my face at Bottega Louie

Sometimes, stuffing yourself into a state of dizzying, stomach-throbbing proportions is a bad thing. And occasionally, it's just delicious.

Last night Bil, Jessica and I headed downtown to Bottega Louie, the new market/bar/restaurant that has the corner of 7th and Grand abuzz. Beautiful marble, attractive waitstaff and just a touch of gilt make the cavernous space feel a little bit museum, a little bit Dean & Deluca.

We started our evening at the bar. I started my buzz with a Lemon Drop.

When we finally reached our table in the main dining room, the waitress emphasized [over and over again] that the Bottega Louie menu was best experienced family style. So, at her suggestion, we ordered a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Namely, we ordered the Modena Salad, Rigatoni Pomodoro, Fettucine Belmondo, Heirloom Carrots, Brussel Sprouts with Almonds, and--oh yeah--the Margherita Pizza. My carnivorous dining mates attempted an order of the sea bass as well, but there was a little problem with bones in the "boneless" fish. Oops.

I forgot to take a picture of the food as it came. But you can see here how it went. And how...

And then there was the small remaining matter of dessert. We skipped the 25 minute wait for the house special, the Chocolate Souflee, and opted instead for the Peanut Butter Terrine. I'm not sure what Terrine means. But it tasted like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup which is cool by me.

So, yeah, there were some problems with the fish. And a couple of communication glitches with our well-meaning waitress. And the larger problem of me eating ad nauseum. But I'd do it again. I totally, totally would.