Ina Garten Loves To Chow At This Italian Restaurant In NYC Led By A James Beard Awarded Chef

Imagine Ina Garten and you probably envision the food world star best known as the Barefoot Contessa at her home. Garten in her beautifully lit kitchen expertly roasting a kitchen; Garten grilling steaks to perfection in her aspirational backyard; Garten at a countertop, mixing up the biggest cosmo the world has ever seen. But she can't do everything! Sometimes, even tip-top culinary pros need a night out where somebody else is doing the making, and Garten has previously discussed her fondness for New York City's Lilia with The New York Times.

"It's a very casual, very approachable kind of restaurant; it's not fancy," Garten said of the Italian restaurant. "But Missy Robbins's food is so extraordinarily flavorful and fresh and seasonal," she continued, citing the practicality of Lilia's shared plates for maximum tastes and a few somewhat secret menu items, including a steak that helped turn a meal into a veritable feast.

Garten, of course, is not Lilia's only fan. The dining room has been perpetually packed since first opening in 2016, and chef/owner Robbins has gone on to tremendous acclaim, including the 2018 James Beard Award for NYC's best chef. Visitors are still champing at the bit (or reservation platforms in this case) for a chance to try the spot's lauded preparations.

Even restaurants absent accolades can be hard to get into in New York City, so Lilia's popularity is not a surprise. Advance availability of primetime tables at, say, 8 p.m. on a Saturday, are vanishingly rare. The only available weekend slots well into the next month at press time were on a single Friday, between 4 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. in the afternoon. Any availability at all is an improvement from a few years ago, however, and scant walk-ins have been known to nab spots at the bar, or score outdoor seats. Unlike the speakeasy-styled 4 Charles Prime Rib in Manhattan, you can probably visit Lilia if your heart is truly set on it.

Once you're in, you should definitely get the pasta. The mafaldine with pink peppercorns has been buzzed about for years; the pasta's dainty, ruffled edges seemingly populate as many social media posts as actual bowls. The sheep's milk cheese agnolotti also provides pillows of creamy flavor, and other items, such as black bass and a chicken thigh and leg combo, are also available. There is also a grilled lamb steak on the menu, but not the IYKYK variety Garten mentioned. You can always ask your server what hidden plates might also delight — the worst they can say is none. In any case, you have enough time to get over any lingering rejection before you secure your next visit to the enduring hot spot.