The News Journal from Wilmington, Delaware • Page 67

F4 SUNDAY NEWS JOURNAL APRIL 11, 2010 PEOPLE PLACES www.delawareonline.com TASTE New York's decadent, divine Del Posto By PATRICIA TAL0RIC0 The News Journal iUi POETRY To be new in the world9: verses for children People ask me how I got interested in poetry: Why did you begin to write? I write because I fell in love with words as a child. I was a reader. My parents did not own many books but they took us to the bookmobile on Saturdays. That air-conditioned little wagon crammed v. ith colored spines was my weekend carnival, my Araby.

A few years back, as I tinkered with a broken teapot, a Del Posto 85 10th New York; (212) 497-8090; www.delposto.com Unnrc-11 -3(1 am tnJnm fUmrM Mnn -Fri 5 tn 11 n.m. hi aw in Ft State Poet Laureate JoAnn Balingit will write a column on poetry and First State poets each Sunday during April, which is Na- J- line popped into my head: 'Teapot said the artichoke." All at once, I was 6 years old and giddy. The familiar rhyme made me grin, although I could not recall where the words came from. A Google search took me to an olive green-and-yellow cover I instantly recognized. The book was by Polly Cameron, a paperback I read to myself and to my younger siblings dozens of times almost 50 years ago.

If JOANN BALINGIT if (dinner); 4:30 to 11 p.m. and 4:30 to 10 p.m. Sun. The scoop: Some people have called this gorgeous, elegant Italian restaurant from celebrity chefs Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich and Joe Bastianich, Lidia's son and Mario's partner in 14 other eateries, the masterpiece of their culinary empire. It's by no means a cheap night out be prepared for stiff prices yet it's hard to fault when the food, wine and service is this memorable.

A must for Italian food lovers looking to celebrate one of life's milestones. Tasteful finds: Vongole marinated with fried Roman artichokes and mint farro dressing pumpkin cappallacci with almond milk, black truffles and sage garganelli Verdi al Ragu Bolognese grilled pork ode to Emilia-Romagna with sunchoke crema and Lambrusco and tartufo al caffe with dark chocolate, Sant Eustachio coffee and candied lemon ($15.) tional Poetry Month. Her chapbook, "Your Heart and How It Works" (Spire Press, spirepress.org, $8) has just been published. For more, go to joannbalingit.org. News Journal fileFRED C0MEGYS Mario Batali co-owns Del Posto with Joe Bastianich and Bastianich's mother, Lidia.

FY! On alternate weeks, critics Patricia Talorico and Eric Ruth rate Delaware area dining destinations. A fork "up" is a place well worth a visit; fork down means we probably wouldn't go again. Middle-of-the-road experiences the graphic equivalent of "hit or miss" are signified by a fork pointing sideways. NEW YORK The quality of the food, and the attention to detail in what is arguably the greatest restaurant city in the world seldom fails to delight. From the sprawling, enviable vastness of the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle sigh! will we ever get one in Delaware? to a bellini served with luscious garlic- and bacon-flavored grits and grilled shrimp at Bar Americain, New Yorkers embrace their food culture and demand the very best.

I always leave poorer in pocket, but richer in culinary experience, especially after a meal at Del Posto, a fine-dining Italian restaurant in West Chelsea owned by Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich and Joe's mother, Lidia Bastianich. Be prepared for an expensive night out the kind where you do a double take at the bill and can't believe you dropped coin like some du Pont trust fund baby. (Wallet watchers who want the experience for a lot less can opt for the Monday through Friday $29 three-course, prix fixe lunch menu that includes some of the dishes available at dinner.) The restaurant's elegant decor is a masculine blend of mahogany and marble with a grand staircase that would make Scarlett O'Hara swoon, a comfortable bar area and top-notch service. The pampering staff makes everyone feel like a big shot or principessa, which isn't always the case at some New York dining palaces. The restaurant has received a three-star rating from The New York Times, but Batali has said he's aiming for a fourth star.

After my meal, I'm hoping he gets it. I may have loved some dishes more than others, but not In Can't' Said the Ant," an army of ants, a spider, utensils, cookware and various pieces of food converse in rhymes as they work together to hoist a cracked teapot back onto the kitchen counter. The story is unremarkable, but the language is beguiling and funny if you are in first grade: 'Don't be yelled the crumb." Often, there was nothing to watch on TV in the days of three channels. Often, the neighbor kids had to go home, leaving no more grapefruit wars for us to fight. (We lived in an aging citrus grove with plenty of hard green ammo.) Then, reading stories and funny verses to each other and imitating our favorites was an entertainment I lured my siblings into.

I remember rifling on Edward Lear's limericks. Edward Lear's "The Owl and the Pussycat" is a story poem I love. Why? Because the lovers "went to seain a beautiful pea-green boat," talked a random Piggy-wig out of his nose ring and were married by a Turkey. The newlyweds "dined on mince and slices of quincewhich they ate with a runcible spoon." Runci-ble. What's not to like about that stupendous word? Edward Lear's "Complete Book of Nonsense" was a childhood staple for me.

I learned a nonsense alphabet, nonsense botany, nonsense songs, nonsense history. Indispensible! I played with language and reveled in its rhythms. "The History of the Seven Young Guinea Pigs" was a particular favorite because I had guinea pigs, and Lear's guinea pig drawings were ridiculous. I loved his in-your-face absurdity. "As a child I was somehow already aware that childhood was fleeting and that I must never forget what it felt like to be new in the world," says Mary Ann Hober-man, current U.S.

Children's Poet Laureate. Hoberman, 79, has written dozens of books for children including her latest "All Kinds of Families!" (Little, Brown, 2009). Hoberman is aware that a lifelong love of poetry can be cultivated in childhood, and so her projects target the nation's youngest readers. When I had the pleasure of meeting Hoberman in February, I asked her about her favorite poems as a child. She smiled and quoted from Edward Lear's "The "Far and few, far and few, Are the lands where the Jumblies live; Their heads are green, and their hands are blue, And they went to sea in a Sieve.

of pasta (primi), an entree (secondo) and dessert (dolce). The hands-down favorite dish of the night was a special menu item -raw tuna with truffles. It was a huge portion and easily shared among three truffle fanatics who made sure to clean the plate. I want this again. In fact, I want this dish every night for the rest of my life.

We also passed around vongole (clams) marinated with fried Roman artichokes and mint farro dressing, as well as seared lamb tenderloin with sea cucumbers. For the two pastas, we went with staff recommendations and couldn't have been happier with the pumpkin cappallacci, a stuffed northern Italian pasta that resembles a straw hat, with almond milk, black truffles and sage. Woo-hoo, more truffles! Garganelli verdi -think spinach penne was served with a hearty and beautifully prepared bolognese. Staffers landscaped the pasta with freshly grated cheese. Our secondi included wild striped bass, a hearty portion of Dover sole and grilled pork with sun-choke crema and Lambrusco.

You're not leaving here hungry. Del Posto is probably the place to savor a good bottle of red wine, but after a happy chat with Emanuele Bartolino, a charming sommelier from Florence, we decided on a bottle of Tocai Fruilano. It's a favorite white wine of mine and I don't find it as often as I'd like. Bartolino didn't try to upsell us, and recommended a gorgeous $50 bottle of 2008 Livio Fel-luga with a touch of min-erality that shines when paired with seafood. But Italian red wine lovers will love paging through the wine menu.

It's well thought-out with some surprises Is that really vitovska on there? Haven't seen that wine outside of Trieste and Slovenia! I wonder who, in this economy, still orders a $6,000 Amarone? The meal concluded with a little tray of cookies oh, those tarts with Nutella! perhaps the best tartufo of my life (choco-lately with hints of coffee and topped with candied lemon) and a seriously dangerous and addictive butterscotch semifreddo that I just might have wrestle Batali for the recipe (or at least offer to buy him a new pair of orange Crocs.) We ended the evening with generous pours of Vin Santo, a caramel-hued, raisin-flavored dessert wine from Isole Olena. Two weeks later, and I'm still dreaming about this dinner. To me, that's always money well spent. Contact Patricia Talorico at 324-2861 or ptaloricodelawareonline. com.

Read her culinary blog Second Helpings at www.delawaiwnline.com secondhelpings and follow her on Twitter pattytalorico. one was a clunker or regrettable way to spend calories. Early for our reservation, we grabbed a couch mmm Parents, take your children to sea in a Sieve tonight. Here are suggestions for the cruise, a few favorites of mine that are mostly for younger kids. For a larger list, go to www.poets.org and search "poetry for children." "This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie, illustrated by Kafhy Jakobsen (Little, Brown, 1998); grades K-6.

Great illustrations to this classic song. "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear, illustrated by Jan Brett (Putnam and Grosset, 1991); grades K-6. Lear's poem with gorgeous renderings of a coral reef and its inhabitants. "The Disappearing Alphabet" by Richard Wilber, illustrated by David Diaz (Harcourt, Inc. (Voyager), 2001); All ages.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning poet imagines what would happen if letters went AWOL. "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" by Simms Tabak (Viking, 1997); All ages. A classic American folk poem that accumulates from fly to horse! Ingenious illustrations with cut-outs. "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert W. Service, paintings by Ted Harrison (Kids Can Press, 2006); grades 4 and up.

This anniversary edition has riveting artwork to accompany the 1907 narrative poem about a doomed Yukon prospector gold, grit and gallows humor. "If You're Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand: Poems About School" by Kalli Dakos, illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Simon Schuster, 1990); grades 1-8. Silliness, sadness and happiness: "captures the pulse of elementary school." "Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young" collected by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Marc Brown (Knopf, 1986); toddlers-K. "More than 200 little poems (with full-color illustrations) for little people with little in the cushy lounge where nearby a musician tickled the ivories of a gleaming black piano.

Servers brought munchies, including crunchy, addictive wheat- and sheep's milk-rigatoni nibbles that one of my companions compared and this was meant as a compliment -to warm, cheese-covered Bugles. I had a glass of Refosco, an Italian rose from the Bastianich vineyard in Fruili's Collio Orientali region, and another pal sipped a Riesling from Piedmont made by Sergio Germano, who has hosted wine dinners at Wilmington's Toscana Kitchen Bar. When we got to our table, a trio of amuse bouches included suppli, little risotto balls with gooey centers; cups of stracciatella, a broth similar to egg drop soup; and little panini smeared with what I believe was creamy pork and maybe another type of ham. (I was so caught up in the warm, gooey suppli, I didn't listen as our server explained the panini's contents.) Baskets of warm, fresh bread are served with little bowls of creamy Italian butter and snowy white whipped lardo, which is basically pork fat. Don't get squeamish on me -once you've tasted lardo, you'll wonder where it's been all your life and why more Italian restaurants aren't serving it.

More pig fat, please. We wanted to sample many dishes, so we chose the $95 tasting menu the whole table has to agree to do this which includes an antipasto, two choices I d'lf 11,111 TtfVU attention spans. "Yellow Ele EXPLAINING RAIN TO A CHILD a a Tell her about the rain, say sometimes it's a shower a drizzle a storm. Tell her about the thunder, how It Is the sound of poetry being stepped on by little girls. When it storms let her watch the wind part the grass and the dandelions swoon, In the summer the perfume of wet grass will make her sneeze but let her smell it anyway.

Let warm raindrops fall against her cheek like fingers drawing on her face when it's time for sleep. Tell her the rain can be whatever it wants and so can she. phant: A Bright Bestiary" by Julie Larios, illustrated by Julie Paschkis (Harcourt, 2006); preK-drade 3. Riythm, sounds and quiet surprises in poems paired with vibrant folk paintings of animals. To the left is a poem by Delaware poet Annette Opal-czynski of New Castle, recipient of two fellowships in poetry from the Delaware Division of the Arts.

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