Babbo Restaurant, New York City

Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, opened by Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich in June 1998, is an exuberant celebration of the best of Italian food, wine and lifestyle.
The menu is a roster of Chef Mario Batalis lusty creations, incorporating the best and freshest seasonal produce, Italian cheeses, meat, game and seafood, accented with fine Italian olive oils, traditional aceto balsamico and many unusual ingredients that will surprise and delight.

A gastronomic superstar since its inception, the James Beard Foundation honored Babbo with "The Best New Restaurant of 1998" award and Ruth Reichl at the New York Times hailed it with three stars. Six years later, a re-review by Frank Bruni maintained Babbo’s three-star power and its excellence among New York City’s finest restaurants. In 2005, Babbo also received a prestigious one-star rating by the New York Michelin Restaurant Guide and was awarded the 2005 IVY Award by Restaurants & Institutions. Gourmet Magazine said," …Babbo is forging the future of Italian cuisine." It offers three-star dining that redefines and reinvents the principles of Italian cuisine for 21st century America. An epic, landmark wine list, an exciting quintessentially New York dining room and expert, attentive, and cordial service make a table at Babbo one of New York’s prized possessions.

Mario Batali believes that olive oil is as precious as gold, shorts are acceptable attire for every season, and food, like most things, is best when left to its own simple beauty. To that end, Mario, together with his business partner Joe Bastianich, create magic night after night in his many twelve hotspots in New York City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Mario and Joe’s flagship restaurant is Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, an award-winning Greenwich Village dining establishment, where Mario has seamlessly combined traditional Italian principles with intelligent culinary adventure since June 1998.

Mario is also the chef/owner of six other enormously successful restaurants in New York City. Lupa Osteria Romana, Esca, Casa Mono, Bar Jamón, Otto Enoteca Pizzeria, and Del Posto.

The duos first west coast venture, in collaboration with Nancy Silverton is Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles. Sharing the corner of Highland and Melrose Avenue, the former features a center island mozzarella bar, where fresh mozzarella is made all day, every day. Mario and Joe recently journeyed to Las Vegas to open B&B Ristorante and Enoteca San Marco in the Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino and Carnevino Italian Steakhouse opened in January of 2008 in the brand new Palazzo Hotel.

In their latest venture, Mario and Joe traveled just outside the city to Westchester County. The Tarry Lodge, in Port Chester, NY, is the site of their new authentic trattoria and now folks outside of the city get to enjoy great Italian food and wine without venturing too far away.

Among his many accolades, Mario was named "Man of the Year" in the chef category by GQ Magazine in 1999. In 2002 he won the James Beard Foundations "Best Chef: New York City" award, and in 2005 the James Beard Foundation awarded Mario "Outstanding Chef of the Year". Mario is also one of the recipients of the 2001 DArtagnan Cervena Whos Who of Food & Beverage in America, a prestigious lifetime achievement award.

Mario has authored Simple Italian Food (Clarkson Potter, 1998), Mario Batali Holiday Food (Clarkson Potter, 2000); The Babbo Cookbook (Clarkson Potter, 2002); Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes (Ecco, 2005); Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style (The Sporting News 2006); and Mario Batali - Italian Grilling (Ecco, 2008).

This fall, Mario’s new PBS series with co-stars Mark Bittman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Spanish actress Claudia Bassols aired. Spain…On the Road Again follows the foursome’s adventures as they travel and eat their way through Spain. Spain...A Culinary Road Trip (Ecco 2008) is the companion book to this prime-time series. Hundreds of gorgeous and candid photos, anecdotes, and more than seventy recipes from Mario appear in this scrapbook of the dream vacation through Spain.

Mario splits his time between New York City’s Greenwich Village and Northern Michigan with his wife and their two sons.

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