Today I experienced one of those fabulous New York moments in which one feels totally on top of the latest trends and in-the-know about the most fabulous food in town. I opened the New York Times Restaurant Review and bam! Pulino’s was featured. A few minutes later, the New York Tasting Table arrived in my inbox. Pulino’s again. Guess where I happened to eat dinner last night? I was wondering what all of those photographers were doing there.

I was on my way to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and decided that it was early enough that I might be able to get a table. Looks like 6:30 is the perfect time to go – I wasn’t even with my whole party of two and they let me grab a table. My waiter was wonderful, bringing me a taste of each of the roses on the menu when he wasn’t sure which would be more similar to a Provencal style (the wine list is predominantly Italian). I ended up ordering the lighter Nebbiolo and sipped it while I waited. I eventually got hungry and decided to go ahead and order a few appetizers to snack on, hoping that they’d come out about when Toni would arrive.

First, I ordered what is possibly the most seasonal dish I have ever laid eyes on – roasted asparagus with ramps and rhubarb, served over black pepper mascarpone. Um, delicious. The asparagus and ramps were slightly warm and oily. Rhubarb added a tart kick, as did the black pepper in the mascarpone cheese. All of the flavors complemented each other well, and it continued to taste extremely good as it cooled down to room temp. (At this point, Toni had arrived and got to eat some too).

Unlike Sam Sifton, I liked the baked ricotta, served hot in a mini cast-iron skillet. The cheese was slightly charred on top and sprinkled with olive oil and black pepper. I also enjoyed the orange agrumato that pervaded the flavor of the dish, giving it a faint but distinct citric profile. That being said, I love most cheeses and anything baked in an oven. Which brings me to the pizza. Pulino’s centerpiece is a large, wood-fired oven which produces delicious flatbread pizzas. We ordered the basil pesto with stracchino and pine nuts to split, just the right amount after the bowl of cheese I had just polished off.

While we were munching and enjoying the saltiness, I eyed my neighbors’ pizza and finally asked what they had ordered. The quattro formaggio with caramelized onions, they replied, want to swap a piece for a piece? After pretending to politely decline, I happily traded. The flavor was a little thin, but the sweetness of the onion was nice. It could have held up to a bit more cheese. Checking my watch, I asked for the bill and we hustled our way down to the Sunshine Theater… only stopping for ice cream on the way. Couldn’t resist the Van Leeuwen truck. I even stuffed it into my purse so we wouldn’t be late for the previews.