Posted on by Ezra Caldwell

Il Buco

 

DSC_5884

 

A couple of weeks ago I got an email from a complete stranger’s email account.

 

Ezra, 

 
We’ve been following your story for quite some time and would like to give you a night off, so to speak. We work at a restaurant called Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria, we love bikes and we love food and we’d like to share that with you. Please let us know which night you’d like to come in and we’ll take care of the rest. 
 
 
Thank you,

The Kitchen at IBA&V

 

So Tuesday night Hill and I went and ended up having one of the very best meals we’ve ever eaten out at a restaurant.  We were ushered in and seated at a counter overlooking the kitchen.  The counter was set for just two.  It seemed pretty clear that no one would be joining us for our personal little viewing.  Before we could order drinks, Jenn showed up with some bubbly for Hill and said, “Ezra, your boiler maker tonight will be mother’s milk and applejack.”  They had done their research.  When I asked her to order for us, she was happy to do so and put together an astonishing meal.

Plate of house cured meats.

Ricotta with herbs and pine nuts.

Octopus with fava beans.

Gnocchi (better than my own.  I am both delighted and a little ashamed to report) with wild mushrooms.

Pasta with a simply perfect and delicate red sauce (anchovies and toasted almonds?!).

Roasted short ribs with horseradish shaved over the top.

And salted caramel ice cream and panna cotta with balsamic for desert.

 

It was magic.   Such a random and beautiful act.  Go check out Il Buco.

 

 

 

 

10 Replies to “Il Buco”

  2. What a beautiful thing. You’ve touched and inspired many lives over the years, Ezra, including mine!

    Reply

  3. What an incredible act…………and I am now soooo hungry after reading that.
    I dont live in NYC but will visiting his restaurant ASA. In the meantime, I have it copied it out and am sending it to everyone I know in NYC as they deserve to be kept very busy due to this support given Ezra

    Reply

  5. *swoon* I love this…
    Y’know, with a fair amount of weird-to-awful surprises recently… it’s so good to see these kinds of surprises falling out of the sky and hitting you in the head too. Il Buco people, come here I wanna kiss you! It all looks amazing. So cool.

    Reply

  6. A great showing of humanism here, as it should be.
    It sounds like you had a great, and memorable, meal.

    Keep on trucking, Jim

    Reply

  7. I love hearing of random acts of kindness such as this. And I love that it motivates me to do the same for others. Sounds like an amazing meal. I just can’t believe you could eat all that food in one sitting! Warm greetings from Italy.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.