Del Posto puts warm washcloths at Masa in the shade

Wrote Florence Fabricant in Wednesday's New York Times Dining section: "Let the French have their finger bowls, the Japanese their warm washcloths. At Del Posto, if you are served something like lamb chops or shellfish that requires your dainty digits to touch the food, the captain will produce a folded napkin on a plate and pour warm water onto it from a little teapot. Inside the napkin is a slice of lemon and a sprig of thyme. Joseph Bastianich, an owner, said it was done in restaurants where he worked in Italy, and he brought the idea home."

[photo by Agaton Strom for the New York Times]