Girls Night Out: Bocca

Last night, I headed down to NYC’s Flatiron District to join galpals Sara and Deborah in celebrating our good friend Leila’s birthday.

Bocca Restaurant & Bar: The tiramisu here is to die for

For the festivities, Leila chose Bocca -- a cozy and fabulous bistro that serves up traditional Italian fare with a twist. Among the culinary delights we enjoyed were goat cheese-filled beet ravioli salad, veal meatballs with chick pea puree and pan-roasted chicken over artichokes in truffle jus. Delish.

After toasting Leila over cocktails, we settled in for a lively conversation, the kind that makes you thankful for girlfriends.

We talked about the recent bumper crop of good movies, who’s hot and who’s not among male celebs (Clooney, of course, and Downey Jr--yea, Pitt and Law--not so much), and whether American men outside of New York are easier to read than their Gotham counterparts.

That’s probably wishful thinking.

Coming up…finding love lessons in career twists and going backstage at NBC’s Today Show.

A Delicious Dinner At Francesco's

Tuesday night, I headed down to NYC’s West Village for dinner with Italian restaurateur Vito Rappa.

Vito and I met back in November at a charity gala, during which he invited me to check out the newest location of his trattoria, Francesco’s.

Francesco’s: The trattoria’s West Village location serves up a killer penne alla vodka

Francesco’s opened on West 4th Street in March -- the larger Columbus Avenue location has been around since 1998 -- and delivers a delicious menu of pizza and pasta.

“As long as I have pasta, I can live,” Vito says.

Good food is in his DNA. A native of Sicily, Vito learned to cook at age 11. His great-grandfather opened a restaurant in 1901, and was the first to have a taverna in the town of Borgetto. His grandfather would often say pasta is the first step to heaven.

That certainly applies to Francesco’s sublime penne in vodka sauce (a family recipe) and perfectly baked garlic knots. The homemade tiramisu drizzled in chocolate sauce is also a must.

While enjoying my dessert, I ended up chatting with fellow single gals Ayesha and Callie. They shared their new year’s resolutions -- Ayesha is preparing to launch her own handbag line while Callie hopes to make her first trip to Europe.

We all agreed there’s no better time for a fresh start than a new year. Especially when it also marks the start of a brand-new decade.

Happy 2010 everyone!