#52 – RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH TOMATO-BASIL SAUCE at UNION SQUARE CAFE

It’s not often that I compare eating to sleeping.  Even though they’re two of my favorite activities, I generally like to keep them separate.  For food, I like to be up, alert and have all my senses working.  For sleep, I prefer to relax, dream and just lay there (and for as late as possible).

But the Ricotta Gnocchi at Union Square Cafe made me think of sleeping.  These little dumplings made me want to enter slumber.  I wanted to fall asleep right in the bowl.  It would have been a mess and a bit of an embarrassment.  But they were so light, delicious, pillowy (there’s the sleep again), and flavorful, that I just wanted to let them take over and let me dream.  Dream about perfect food.

And every time I’ve visited Union Square Cafe, I’m treated like a king.  Granted, I work at one of their sister restaurants (The Modern), but I know that this warm hospitality is not selective.  And they clearly don’t make exclusive food just for me (then I’d really be a King), so anybody who picks the gnocchi from the menu, gets a really special treat.

Time Out lists the gnocchi as being served with tomato-basil sauce.  I guess we waited too long to come here because the sauce had changed to Meyer Lemon Butter and it was garnished with fresh herbs. And as light and tasty as the sauce was, I really don’t think it mattered what these were swimming in.  Tomato, basil, butter, lemon.  I’ll take any of them, sure.  But most importantly, I want those ricotta gnocchi.

They literally melt in your mouth and give way to a rich ricotta center that’s barely held together, yet there’s still that initial firmness.  It’s just as much fun to pop them open with your teeth as it is to savor the flavor in your mouth.

Union Square Cafe is a bit on the pricey side (although they do offer cheaper, smaller portions of their pasta – the gnocchi included), but it is worth the splurge.  The dishes are  not overly complicated, yet the flavors are balanced and well-executed.  Looking at the menu, it seems like you’ve had all this before (lasagna, roasted chicken, gnocchi).  And you may have, but here you’ll have them cooked to perfection.

Would Union Square Cafe’s Ricotta Gnocchi make my Top 100 of the year?  They’re light, playful, and probably the best gnocchi I’ve ever had in my life.  How can I not give them a 10 out of10?