Otto Enoteca Pizzeria NYC 02/14/09

I visited Mario Batali's restaurant, Otto Enoteca Pizzeria this past weekend when I visited NYC. It was Valentine's Day and all we could get was a 4:30pm reservation, which actually worked out great with our evening activities.
I wrote a short review for Opentable.com, which I used to make the reservation; here is the review:

I recently dined at Otto Enoteca Pizzeria through a reservation I made on OpenTable.com. Below summarizes my dining experience. I hope you will find this helpful next time you are deciding where to dine.
Feedback on Otto Enoteca Pizzeria

Ratings:

Food		Very Good
Ambiance		Fair
Service		Good
Overall		Good
Noise		Loud

	I would classify this restaurant as: Fit for Foodies, Good for Groups, Great for Lunch, Notable Wine List Review by Sharon Shiner: Otto Enoteca is the "accessible" Mario Batali restaurant. You can walk in off the street and eat some good Italian fare without breaking the bank, and without feeling that you need to have to hone up on your Italian food history. The menu is simple yet offers many selections. Start off with the Antipasti, choosing from vegetables, meats, seafood, cheese, and greens. Be sure to try the fresh anchovies with scallions and croutons. After the Antipasti, chose a pasta or a pizza, and split it with your loved one. Finish up with the gelato! It is creamy and delicious with flavors like salty caramel and dark chocolate. The staff is knowledgeable and will answer any question you might have in a manner that pleasant. The spot is touristy but yummy. We had the Antipasti first and chose the following items: Arugula w/roasted cherry tomatoes Roasted brussel sprouts Roasted beets Cardoons w/scallions (cardoons are in the artichoke family and are similar to celery) Prosciutto Fresh anchovies w/scallions and "breadcrumbs", which were really nice crispy chunks of bread and cheese - Fontina, Gorganzola Dolce and Parmesanno Regianno Fresh bread and grisini (Breadsticks) were put on the table, as well as a plate of truffle homey (YUM), a plate of cherries and a plate of apricots w/chiles. Can you say prosciutto, gorganzola w/truffle honey on a piece of bread????? We split a pizza which was an excellent size to split; we got a Taleggio w/mushroom pizza. Taleggio is a stinky cheese and paired well with the mushrooms. It was topped with fresh chopped parsley. It was pure earth....delicious. We finished with their homemade gelato, which screamed with flavor. We paired Salty Caramel with Dark Chocolate and each bite made you want another. The wine list was overwhelming, but offered some wines as individual servings, sold in a short carafe, equal to a bit more than a glass of wine. I had a Dolcetto D'Alba which was super soft. Overall, a great place to eat - a bit touristy and loud, but excellent food. Like I said above - it's the accessible Mario Batali restaurant.