L’Incontro by Rocco, Upper East Side, Manhattan

For my first birthday dinner, mom took me to L’Incontro by Rocco on the Upper East Side. A lovely Italian spot in my old neighborhood. After ZERO wait, we were led to a table in the back of the very crowded restaurant. Our appetizer was the calamari and this was one of the best calamari dishes I ever had. Simply fried with a wonderfully chunky house tomato sauce. The order was huge, plenty for more than the two of us, but the hell with the entree, we polished it off. Then came the entrees and as custom, mom ordered whatever I did, over my objections. We had the Spaghettone Nduja, homemade spaghetti with spicy nduja, burrata foam and shrimp. The Spaghettone was thicker than spaghetti, but wonderful. The burrata foam melted into the sauce, which was only the slightest touch spicy and the shrimp were nice sized shrimp chopped into thirds. A very rich and filling dish that neither of us could fully finish, but leftovers can be wonderful! Meanwhile, the staff was attentive without being overbearing and never let a water glass or drink get less than half full without either a re-fill or a word to ask if we wanted another. We finished off with a shared pistachio creme brulee and since it was my birthday, a little candle in the dollop of whipped cream on the side. Many around us joined in the singing. It made for a wonderfully communal end to a fantastic meal.

I can’t say enough about the staff, the food, the service at L”Incontro by Rocco, who did come out of the kitchen to chat with diners as we were getting ready to leave. Dinner for two came in a t a brink 90 minutes, but we never felt rushed in the least. I can’t recommend it enough and I will be back to try more of their wonderful food.