‘Tis the Season: Where to Find White Truffle Dinners in New York City

Fiona Chandra

Many outstanding Italian restaurants dot New York City, so truffle lovers can be sure that many chefs will be celebrating the arrival of Italy’s white truffle season with special dishes or tasting menus. Truffle season is short for this delicacy ($250 per ounce), so be sure to head to these restaurants to get a taste while you can:

Babbo
Celebrity Chef Mario Batali’s Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village will be offering a white truffle tasting menu while the season lasts. The four-course white truffle tasting menu is available Tuesday through Friday during lunchtime for $129 per person. The menu includes beef carpaccio with white truffle fonduta, agnolotti, and guinea hen with roasted porcini and white truffle. Diners who have the privilege to drink during a weekday lunch can opt for the wine pairing, which will be offered for $65 per person. Reservations are here.

Del Posto
The annual Festa del Tartufo will be Dec. 2. There will be five courses of white truffle dishes paired with wine from two of Barolo’s wine producers. Guests can choose between a vintage selection of Giuseppe Rinaldi wines, or exclusive large format selections of Giacomo Conterno wines. The Giacomo Conterno pairing will also feature the 2002 Monfortino. The night’s offerings include a 100-layer lasagna with maitake, sottocenere and béchamel. Since fine wines and white truffles don’t come cheap, tickets to the dinner runs from $1,000 (for the Giacomo Conterno wines) to $2,000 (for the vintage Giuseppe Rinaldi wines). Tickets are here.

Locanda Verde
The TriBeCa restaurant owned by Robert de Niro showcases Andrew Carmellini’s rustic Italian cooking with white truffle dishes, available on Oct. 19-Dec. 21. Several a la carte options are offered for dinner and dessert, including a chestnut crespelle with ricotta and porcini, hand-cut tajarin with suga d’arrosto, and a roasted and braised veal with guanciale and spaetzle. These dishes will feature freshly shaved Alba white truffles and range from $45-$64, among the more affordable white truffle options in the city. Reservations are by phone at (212) 925-3797.

Marea
Marea has chosen to highlight another region famous for truffles: Emilia Romagna in northern Italy. During the truffle season, fresh white truffles from Emilia Romagna can be added to a tagliatelle with parmigiano or acquerello risotto. The white truffle dishes are available for $145 per portion. Diners who are partaking in Marea’s tasting menu can also substitute one of the white truffle dishes for $120. Reservations are here.

Scarpetta
Scott Conant will be celebrating both black and white truffles at Scarpetta with a five-course meal on Sunday and Monday only. The $125 per person menu includes dishes such as seared scallops with Burgundy black truffles, tagliatelle with white truffles, or a dry-aged striploin with white truffles. Wine pairing is available for $55 per person. For diners who prefer to choose their own dishes, truffle supplements can be added for $80. Reservations are here.

Sushi Nakazawa
You can also get truffles a la Japanese at this acclaimed sushi bar in the West Village, from a chef who was Jiro Ono’s protégé. From now until supply runs out, you can get white truffle shaved on a number of Nakazawa’s sushi, which received a four-star rating from The New York Times. Truffles are available on toro, uni or wagyu beef. Reservations are here.