My youngest was in town for my birthday, so we celebrated with dinner at Ci Siamo, Danny Meyer’s restaurant at Manhattan West.

We settled onto the second-floor terrace, sipped cocktails, and caught up on life. He chose an Old Forester Sour ($19); I went with the Calabrita ($19), their Italian take on a spicy Margarita.

Next came my go-to: the decadent caramelized cipollini onion tart with its flaky crust, drizzled with balsamic and topped with gooey goat cheese fondue and Pecorino ($22).

For our pasta course, we shared the delicate Stracci ($29), tossed with tender rabbit and finished with Parmigiano Reggiano. The sauce was so good that the hostess graciously brought over half a flatbread so we wouldn’t leave a drop behind.

We followed that with the braised and molded lamb ($36), accented by snap peas, celery pesto, and pistachios. Smoked carrots ($19) with capers, dill, and feta rounded out the meal.

To accompany it all, we enjoyed a bottle of Fontodi Chianti Classico Filetta di Lamole ’21 ($125), selected after a conversation with the wine director.

Dessert began with an affogato ($15) and tartufo ($18), but the evening wasn’t over. The staff surprised me with a birthday cake, complete with a candle, and an espresso martini ($19).

Sharing a wonderful meal with my son while celebrating another trip around the sun made for a memorable birthday. Having both sons and their families together would have been the only thing that could have made it better.

Ci Siamo
Manhattan West
440 W 33rd Street, Suite #100
New York, NY 10001
cisiamonyc.com