Italian Restaurant Bamonte’s in Williamsburg Serves Italian-American Fare that Holds Up to the Fantasy | Eater NY
"Founded in 1900 by Pasquale Bamonte from Salerno and still family-run, this may be the city’s oldest Italian restaurant and is frequented for its antique charms and classically Italian-American menu. It occupies a two-story house in Williamsburg faced with stone and red clapboards (the BQE looms overhead), and inside a darkened barroom—complete with a signed picture of James Gandolfini, two wooden phone booths, and a deep, baroque dining room with heavy red draperies, bright chandeliers, Roman busts, gilt-framed paintings, and a glassed-in open kitchen said to be one of the country’s first. The stately waiters in black suits glide silently through a room that skews very old-school (come early on a weekday and you may be one of the youngest patrons), there’s no background music, and the menu stubbornly resists modern fads. Stick with the neighborhood classics: a dozen clams oregonata ($25.50) with herbed breadcrumbs and a powerful clam broth I urged everyone to sop up with the provided dense bread (and make sure to order the clams casino), the eggplant rollatini (two rolls, $8.95) of eggplant around clean-tasting ricotta in a chunky tomato sauce, anchovy-festooned roasted peppers, and a prizefighter-sized artichoke topped with garlicky breadcrumbs. Some items stumble—the spiedini Romana lacked the crispness and sauce I expected, and the homemade square ravioli, lovely with plain tomato, becomes oppressively dense when baked—so opt instead for the delicious plain lasagna or well-dressed spaghetti and meatballs (ask for meaty Bolognese). I followed my waiter’s recommendation to the rigatoni with Italian sausage and broccoli rabe ($19.95), which was al dente and nicely bitter against the fennel-laced sausage; other solid choices include chicken cacciatore, the famous pork chop alla Bamonte ($23.95) served with sweet or hot pickled peppers (ask for both), and veal done schnitzel or Francese. Entrees arrive with copious garlicky green beans and soft, salty potatoes and are eminently shareable; expect a bill around $50 per person with leftovers. For dessert, the cannoli (no candied fruit, ethereally whipped ricotta, and an extremely crunchy shell) is fabulous and the tartufo is another good option, and the wine list is reasonably priced (a decent bottle of Multepulciano D’Abruzzo runs about $25). Though you can find better Italian restaurants in Brooklyn, I still find nothing beats Bamonte’s for its clams, eggplant rollatini, baked-pasta classics, reasonably priced wines, and—above all—its atmosphere; it’s a great spot for large parties, date night, or any occasion that benefits from a sense of history." - Robert Sietsema
