I recently stumbled upon Via Carota.

I had intended to try the year-old restaurant before, but things happen.

I admire Jody Williams and her terrific little french gem, Buvette which is literally down the street from Via Carota in the West Village.

The brunch at Buvette is stellar and the atmosphere transports you to Paris.

Via Carota is a collaboration between life partners Williams and Rita Sodi, the purveyor of I Sodi also in the Village.

In actuality, Via Carota is the name of a street in a Tuscan village where Sodi once lived.

The restaurant seduces you the minute you walk into the attractive spot with beautiful wood floors, expansive windows and servers in their off white jackets.

Initially, we had set out after theater to be entertained at Marie’s Crisis, a little dive bar that features a piano player who belts out show tunes along with engaged patrons.

Alas, the piano man was running late.

We walked up the stairs and I turned to the right on Grove Street and Via Carota caught my eye.

I suggested we grab a drink until the piano man showed.

We never left Via Carota. It is so much more entertaining than Marie’s Crisis.

We sat at the bar and indulged in a fabulous sparking rose, Brut Rose Friuli ($14).

Via Carota seats 75 in a cozy, rustic environment.

The bartenders, Tommy and Mr. Umbria were a delight and astutely pointed out the house specialties.

We started with Crostini Stracchino with fresh cheese and sun-dried cherry tomatoes. The bread was well toasted and crunchy, the cheese smooth and tasty and the tomatoes flavorful ($8).

This was followed by  Barbabietole…truly the best beet salad. The yellow salt-baked beets were thinly sliced and presented with almonds and sheep’s curd ($13).

We followed this up with Verdi Asparagi with shallots and herbed caprino. The asparagus were tender and the cheese an excellent compliment ($16).

We ordered Risotto which was made with Meyer Lemon. The lemon flavor senually dominated the creamy risotto ($19).

To finish we indulged in a refreshing fresh berries dessert ($10).

I found Via Carota utterly charming. The food is first rate and the atmosphere delightful.

Sitting next to us and adding to the mood were two fabulous actors, John Benjamin Hickey (The Big C) and John Slattery (Mad Men).

it was a blind date that turned out to be a perfectly delectable match.

Via Carota 51 Grove Street New York City. Open daily 11am-midnight. No reservations.