Spigolo - New York

This cozy trattoria is located in the upper east side at 81st & 2nd Avenue. They have a patio in the summer, but my visit here was in February, on Valentine's day incidentally. It's small and intimate, so I recommend a reservation.

The service is fantastic and the food we had here was the best meal I've had in New York. Plates are in the $14-$30 range, which I think is excellent value for the freshness of the ingredients and the originality of the dishes. My friend tried a risotto del giorno (of the day) with oranges, crab and fresh herbs that was amazing. I had the Strozzapreti, which is a pasta with mushrooms and a light cream sauce, and we shared a decadent chocolate cake for desert. That was the best chocolate desert I've ever had. For about $100, we had an appetizer, two mains, 1 desert and 2 glasses of wine. They also gave us some delicious home made heart cookies with jam centers for free.

Overall I was very impressed with the service, food, ambiance, wine selection... and the olives. Oh the olives! They serve a small plate of olives to nibble on while you wait for your main course. They were so good I asked what they were marinated in. Fennel, Orange and Chilies. If they take that much care for the little plate of olives, it says a lot about the love and care going into the main dishes.

I will definitely visit here again next time I'm in New York and highly recommend you try it!