Get a Taste of Italy in the LES with Bread and Stone

Bread and Stone is an intimate restaurant and bar, that just opened up in the Lower East Side. The vibes are the equivalent of curling up in front of a fire type of cozy. Melanie, our server, guided us through the menu while we were there and made sure she didn’t steer us wrong with our decisions. We started with cocktails that were handcrafted by Chris. The Pistachio Cream Pie is a concoction of vanilla vodka, pistachio simple syrup, amaretto, lime juice and pistachio egg white foam, which gives it the frothiness on top. This drink is on the sweeter side, so it can also double as a liquid dessert. The Amalfitano, is a refreshing combination of muddled strawberries, limoncello, fresh lemon juice and basil simple syrup, transporting you to the beach on a sunny day.

We couldn’t pass up house-made focaccia, which came with herbed honey butter, house garlic confit and my favorite, rosemary-toasted pistachio apricot jam accoutrements. It was filling, but I would’ve made room for more. The Cesare di Bruxelles was a surprisingly warm salad with different textures of the shaved brussels sprouts and parmesan crust. Now I want all my salads to be like that!

We opted for the indulgent Tartufo di Parmigiano, the parmesan truffle pizza. This is not a pizza you will be able to get everywhere. The mixture of herbed butter crust and balsamic fig glaze really makes it stand out.

We ended with a homemade pasta and that’s because we were so full we had no room for dessert! Melanie made sure we chose one that was memorable and urged us to try the Manzo alla bolognese and she was right. The homemade pappardelle noodles melted in your mouth with the beef that has been slow-cooked for hours generously mounted on top. It was a hug in a meal! Portions are generous so arrive with the intent to share or have leftovers!

Overall, this was really a stellar experience and you’re going to walk away happy no matter what the occasion for dining here is. They have live music nightly, which is another reason to go, but you really don’t need more than the very authentic cuisine. To plan your visit, please go to https://www.breadandstone.com/ for more information.