When I Want to Be Alone, I Eat Dinner at the Bar at I Sodi | Bon Appétit
"Beloved by the writer but notoriously hard to book, this West Village restaurant rewards perseverance with hearty, Tuscan-rooted cooking from chef Rita Sodi. The bar offers a somewhat easier route—solo bar seats and a convivial spot to drown Monday blues—where bartenders make a mean sbagliato and the complimentary bread with peppery Tuscan olive oil is intensely flavorful. Pasta is the go-to: the pappardelle al limone is unapologetically lemony and buttery, delivering an initially bracing bite that slowly mellows, while the lasagna carciofi is quietly formidable with thin layers of pasta, béchamel, and artichoke. If pasta isn’t calling, the simple, ingredient-driven salads—arugula with castelmagno and a valeriana made with mâche, pecorino, and balsamic—are genuinely appealing. Overall the food acts like carb-heavy therapy: comforting enough to lift a bad day, even if you sometimes have to wait to be alone with a bowl of pasta." - ByCarey Polis
