My spouse and I dined for lunch at Barbetta in July 2003 and August 2002. We love the outdoor hidden garden at Barbetta, where they serve an amazing tomato and mozarella salad (with the bufalo mozzarella flown in daily from Italy), and where you can order from a dessert cart. My spouse tends to get "hit" by pigeon droppings when we dine in this courtyard! Barbetta was the first Italian restaurant to present white truffles "on a continuous and regular basis during the truffle season" and was one of the first restaurants in Manhattan to add a garden for dining outdoors. Barbetta is the first restaurant in America to have received landmark status from the Locali Storici d'Italia when it was designated Locale Storico (Historic Establishment).
My husband and I love the courtyard at Barbetta on 46th Street (Restaurant Row in the Theatre District). They make the best tomato and mozarella salad in the summer, mixed right at your table. It's worth the 1.5 hour drive into the city just for that salad! Luckily, it will soon be time for ripened, homegrown tomatoes. Try it--you won't be disappointed!
