{"id":3870,"date":"2016-09-02T16:50:51","date_gmt":"2016-09-03T00:50:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foodfriendstravel.com\/staging\/?p=3870"},"modified":"2016-09-02T16:56:20","modified_gmt":"2016-09-03T00:56:20","slug":"la-sirena-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foodfriendstravel.com\/staging\/la-sirena-new-york\/","title":{"rendered":"La Sirena – New York"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t

Dinner for our night in New York\u00a0before once again boarding the Queen Mary 2 (see\u00a0our last trip<\/a>) was at La Sirena<\/a>, a Mario Batali venture just in its 5th<\/sup> month. It\u2019s a large, open space, so different than the current trend toward \u2018micro\u2019 restaurants. Of course, it\u2019s a gamble to produce the high quality dishes typical out of a smaller kitchen, where attention to detail is a trademark.<\/p>\n

\"La<\/a><\/p>\n

We had an early seating, mostly due to wanting to have time for cocktails on the Viceroy\u2019s The Roof terrace later and be ready for bed early.<\/p>\n

The staff was prompt, generous with their time in explaining the menu. I questioned portion sizes because American pasta portions are just huge, and if you want a multi-course meal it\u2019s just ridiculous to be served an Olive Garden-sized plate of noodles and then have room to enjoy an entr\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

Our waiter said the kitchen would create the meal as we wished. If we wanted to share antipasti and salad courses, but wanted to selfishly have our own Secundi and Primi courses, so be it\u2026which is precisely what we did.<\/p>\n

We weren\u2019t in any hurry, so we asked the Sommelier, Michelle, to offer up suggestions for champagne to start us out. She suggested a wonderful Champagne from Bordeaux. \u00a0It was just what we wanted at a good price too, given how restaurants mark up their liquor. We sipped and talked for quite awhile, the wait staff watching our pace from behind the scenes. Michelle needs a shout out here. She was not only knowledgeable, but kind enough to lead us to just the right red wine with dinner; \u2018a Rina 2014 Etna Rosso Girolamo Russo, a Pinot Noir from Mt. Etna. Being from the Pacific Northwest, I wanted to particularly try a Pinot with the minerality forwarding the volcanic notes we\u2019re used to. You could really taste the new earth of Mt. Etna but not in a slap \u2018yo Mamma kind of way, but a robust, unashamed vintage.<\/p>\n

\"Drinks,<\/a><\/p>\n

Given all the various courses and combinations of proteins and sauces, this was no easy feat\u2026but not a challenge for Michelle. She was just great on all accounts.<\/p>\n

In short, the meal stood up to our strange ordering pattern and food requirements. This is what our table ordered:<\/p>\n

Anitpasti<\/strong><\/p>\n