Unusual mignardises at Otto NY

by Nicole Weston, Posted Aug 6th 2006 @ 6:04PM

Mignardises are the tiny, bite-sized desserts that follow a meal at high-end restaurants. Often they include tiny cookies or truffles, as well as other edible delights. Vittles Vamp reported that when she ate at Mario Batali's Otto Pizzeria in New York, all of the diners were given a very unusual after-dinner treat: a tube of lip balm. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine/Breath Freshener, to be specific, which is a "mint-infused lip balm [that] provides a glossy high shine with a refreshing cooling sensation" and retails for $7.50. At Otto, which is a mid-range eatery, the balms were gratis with the meal. But why were they given out? Is it a form of product placement or is Batali trying to make some sort of statement in giving out an after-meal refreshment in a more unusual form than a simple mint?

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Filed Under: Food Oddities, On the Blogs, Chefs & Restaurants, Restaurants
Tags: after dinner mint, batali, east coast, lip balm, mario batali, mignardises, mint, new york, nyc, oddities, otto, otto pizzeria, pizza

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

8-07-2006 @2:43AM Lydia said... That's great! I have this lipbalm and have to admit it is a treat to taste!!!
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8-07-2006 @8:36AM Laura said... I'm thinking Bath & Body Works has some sort of a deal with Batali...This is usually the lip gloss they give away free with purchase.
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8-07-2006 @11:03AM tr said... that's great, i never thought of a product placement combining two different markets, higher end restaurants, and higher end personal care products. don't know how well it will work, but i know that the lip balm is a very popular seller. this past winter, my girlfriend had to visit 3 different stores in order to find one that had the balm in stock.
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