Choosing the same restaurant year over year, to celebrate my birthday seems to go against my nature as a (self-proclaimed) foodie. Even if I ate out everyday 3 times a day, 7 days a week for a year straight I still wouldn’t be able to cross every restaurant, deli, take-out place, bistro, and bar off my never-ending New York restaurant bucket list. But I just can’t stay away from Babbo.

Babbo at Christmas time is simply magical. With my birthday having the lucky spot (cue sarcasm font) of being nestled right between Christmas and New Years, celebrating here just makes sense to me. The restaurant breathes an atmosphere of warmth emulating from the Grand tree in the middle of the first floor, ascending lithely up the stairs to the cozy top floor. The place is made for celebrations.

First tip for dining at Babbo during the winter: request the top floor. Although busy and great for people watching on the bottom, the cold air that often accompanies an East Coast winter can easily ruin a warm pasta meal. Especially considering your table won’t be seated unless all members are there and there’s no real place to wait for a table without being in the way.

Despite having eaten at Babbo numerous times, I ashamedly declare that I’m too obsessed with their steak for two to order any other main dish. The meat is of the best possible quality, cooked to perfection, and drizzled with a balsamic reduction. The steak rub is perfectly seasoned, sprinkled with large flecks of sea salt and carved to be divided epically between two warmed plates. The fingerling potatoes that accompany the dish aren’t too shabby either. Taking the crown as possibly the best steak I’ve ever had (Peter Luger, Gotham, Strip House all runner-ups) the pretty price tag certainly reflects the dish’s superior quality.

Being an Italian restaurant, the pasta portion of the menu is pimped out with every kind of pasta one could want. With the steak for two being a definite on the entrée side of things, splitting pasta for an appetizer here makes a lot of sense. Known for his beef cheek ravioli with crushed squab liver and black truffle, I honestly had higher expectations for this dish (pictured below). Although quite tasty and by no means a disappointment the pasta wasn’t hot enough and seemed slightly lacking in the rich flavor I was anticipating.

The goat cheese tortelloni with dried orange and wile fennel pollen was an instant pasta hit. Sweet, rich, and all encompassing in flavor this dish is pasta king. It’s a good idea to be split as an appetizer however as the richness of the dish might seem overwhelming for a main.

Lastly, the bucatini all’Amatrician (half portion pictured below) with guanciale, hot pepper, and pecorino was seemingly undervalued at first, but began to open up in flavor as the meal continued on. Not up to par with the tortelloni, but certainly a contender for the red-sauce pastas.

I could go on and on about Babbo, but hopefully I’ve done my job in conveying the quality and experience of this fine Greenwich Village establishment. I’ll sign off on one simple tip: if you’re looking for an interesting and entirely New York bathroom experience, there’s no excuse not to visit the top floor bathroom. Do it for the story.

5/5 stars.