in the video game of life,
the time warner center at columbus circle is the final kingdom.
{housing at the top, the treasure that is per se}
once you successfully navigate across that vicious traffic circle that is plagued with poorly timed traffic lights,
and speeding horses and taxis,
you're in.
you start in the dungeon,
fending for your life at the eternally crowded prepared food section of the whole foods.
you pass this level only when you can actually find a place to sit and eat your winnings.
{landing a booth = double points}
after that, it's easy sailing up to the third level.
on the ground level, you refuel with godiva chocolates and samples at the williams sonoma.
on the second level, you maybe stop for a coffee at the dean and deluca, but sometimes you don't have enough time to go out of your way before the dragons come to eat you, so you are forced to flee up the escalator, caffeinated or not.
the third level is a bit trickier and usually involves three, maybe four attempts to clear.
and over a longer period of time, too.
this level is home to
annnnd
{the final obstacle before ascending to the final level}
and with it's cute little michelin star,
a voce serves some of the best italian food i've ever had.
if there's anything better than bread & butter at the start of a sit down,
it's focaccia & ricotta.
as an appetizer, the pops and i ordered
cassoncini
{yes!! a newly discovered dumpling!! i was tickled with excitement!!}
these were little buttery pastries filled with swiss chard and ooozy crescenza cheese,
covered in parmesan,
and served with prosciutto.
they were like... italy's rival to the empanada.
oh, with their perfect texture and piping hot filling,
i could have eaten them all day!
the main course:
"uova in purgatorio"
poached eggs, san marzano tomatoes,
rosemary, pecorino
doesn't it kind of look like ravioli??
the tomato sauce was so fresh and tasty that i think it actually rivaled the sauce at austin's enoteca vespaio.
oh i could go on and on about how much i love eggs!
and this? served with the freshest of fresh tomato sauce? just another way eggs are the man.
spaghetti alla carbonara
with a duck egg
and a dude in the background of the picture that goes to my school but i've never met and that looked right at the camera when pops was taking this. lolzzzzzz
ok, so the point is, i tasted a duck egg.
it was thicker and gooey-er than a chicken egg
and according to pops, it was gamey.
evvs.
the pasta was a little too al dente for my taste.
but,
then again,
i was always the daughter standing by the stove and yelling at mum to cook the pasta for longer
...cause i'm just a mushy pasta kinda girl.
this wasn't my fave dish of the meal,
but it looked and smelled pretty.
pops liked em.
dessert was....
not really in the cards for me,
because when there is a never ending supply of bread at the table,
especially bread as good as a voce's,
i don't stop eating it ever ever ever.
but pops wanted some sweets, so we gots {from l to r}:
mint gelato
kiwi sorbet
&
lemon granita
i tasted a bit of each,
fearing with each bite that i'd actually explode all over the place...
the mint taste was very faint and the gelato itself suuuper creamy.
the kiwi was a bit salty, but in a good way.
and the lemon, very refreshing... and can it be summer already.
it was, overall, an incredible meal.
{the focaccia & ricotta & the cassoncini alone would have made me happy as a clam}
i think i could eat italian food any day,
but this just brought it to a new level.
the restaurant itself was beeeautiful too,
with big bright windows overlooking central park...
<3
so there you have it,
i've successfully cleared level three.
i've now unlocked the door to the final chamber,
and can start to work my way through
masa,
and
*gasp*
don't worry, i've got eleven months to do so,
but that doesn't mean i won't be playing as intensely as
the stoners next store play goldeneye 24/7
if you like food, go to a voce.
xoxo
yeh
a voce is located on the third floor of the time warner center at columbus circle, at the southwest corner of central park.
it has another location at madison and 26th, but that one is closed on sundays and does not serve brunch.