I was talking about restaurants, as I’m known to do, with a friend some months ago and I mentioned that I was always on the lookout for a restaurant that I could make a ‘usual’. A place with good atmosphere, modern and comfortable, that had great food, a nice crowd and also wasn’t expensive, so that I could justify frequent return visits when in the mood for good food and a nice evening out. Absurdly improbable, if not impossible, I had always assumed given the state of the New York dining scene. He suggested I check out a place called Barbuto, saying that he and his wife had been there several times and always loved it. So, with nothing to loose other than a chunk of money in exchange for a mediocre meal, I made plans to go.

I was in for more than a pleasant surprise. Barbuto is situated at the corner of Washington and West 12th Street, in the low-key zone between the Village and the fun zoo that the Meatpacking District has become. The dining room feels like an old garage that has been sand-blasted down to bare brick with spare decoration and low lighting, giving everything a warm glow. The two walls facing the corner streets are nothing but glass-filled garage doors (adding to the old garage feel) that are held open during the summer months letting the tables spill out onto the sidewalk and the evening breeze flow into the restaurant. The room is at once both open and airy and cozy and intimate at the same time. An atmosphere that immediately puts one at ease after a twelve hour day of deadlines and phone calls.

The food has obvious roots in tradition, but there is also present an inventive modern sensibility which elevates Barbuto far beyond the typical Italian restaurant. Though listing dishes with a healthy degree of ingredient sophistication, the menus are very straight forwardly printed on single sheets of paper. Intelligent but unintimidating. Word has it that the chef, Jonathan Waxman changes menu selections on a daily basis. A definite plus in my book. A sign to me of a good chef that cares about what is in season and available, what he is serving and that he is not just ‘phoning it in’ every night. The wine selections, though I am no expert by any stretch, were easy going and well suited to the food. And the servers! On the few nights that I have eaten there the servers have all been very warm and accomodating. A fact that I felt compelled to thank them for on more than one occasion.

But cut out of the back wall like a little jewel of a ‘chapel’ in an Italian cathedral is the best part of Barbuto. There sits a huge grill in an open kitchen, all flames and smells and activity for the adjacent dining room to witness. Mr. Waxman , the attentive monk, is usually present and deftly managing all of the meat lined up in sizzling rows. On the nights that I have been there, I always have to take a few minutes to go stand nearby and watch as the meat comes off the grill and all of the ingredients come together on a well-presented plate. It’s artistry and craft in action and for once we are allowed to watch. There is an honesty to Barbuto that is very compelling both in the cozy room that takes advantage of a few simple design moves and the delicous food that builds on tradition - right before your eyes. So count on seeing me there again soon, watching the monk in action.