Need a place to take your parents when they’re in town?  I hope they like Italian because Borgo Antico is the perfect grown-up restaurant.  Walk in to this quiet townhouse off the busy street and you’ll be rewarded with a tasty meal well above the usual marinara mill. 

 

I enjoyed the farfalle agli asparagi e gorgonzola ($15).  It was perfectly cooked bow tie pasta with little pieces of asparagus and red roasted peppers luxuriating with melted gorgonzola in a creamy white sauce.  Oh, how I love gorgonzola!  I also tasted the fettucine alla bolognese ($15) which was also cooked al dente.  The meaty veal ragu was perfect for a cold day. 

 

The menu is well thought out with enticing combinations.  In fact, looking it over now, I’m thinking I want to get back and try the sautéed sea scallops in a leeks and enoki mushroom sauce with Brussels sprouts gratin.  There are less expensive places to find a plate of pasta (this ain’t no Olive Garden, thank goodness), but if you find yourself in the Union Square area, hungry and wanting more than the routine Italian food, treat yourself (or let your parents treat you) to Borgo Antico.

 

Here is part of the view from my table on the spacious second floor at Borgo Antico.   Up close and personal with bowtie pasta while it luxuriates with asparagus, red peppers, and gorgonzola cheese in a creamy white sauce.  mmm.

 

Feeling cold this winter?  Warm your bones with a hot plateful of fettucine alla bolognese.

 

Somewhat puzzling.  Here is a fake, freestanding fireplace.  As far as I could tell, it gave off no heat.  This is a few feet from the apparently non-working fireplace in the nearby brick wall.  Sitting near the second floor window can be a tad chilly, but it looks cozy and did I mention that the food is very good?  And the service is fantastic!

 

Borgo Antico

22 E. 13th Street (between University and 5th Ave.)

Union Square area, NYC 10003

212.807.1313

 

 

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