Jan S.
Google
From the street the entrance is a bit obscure — you can barely see inside or get a sense of the atmosphere. Once you step in, a friendly lady (from Colombia) takes your coat, but after that you’re left to figure out what to do next. After standing there for a few minutes, I asked her where to check in, and she said to wait for the maître d’.
While waiting, I watched the scene unfold: a very full restaurant with lots of busy waiters, all seemingly speaking Italian. It was actually fun to observe the lively, slightly chaotic atmosphere — very “Italian New York.” The guests were predominantly men, including two groups of around eight.
When the maître d’ finally came over, he asked if I had a reservation. I said yes, but he couldn’t find it and gave off an air that he might not be able to seat us. He asked what time we had booked, and when I answered “a few hours ago,” he made it seem as if that was too last-minute. At that point we didn’t feel very welcome and even suggested coming back another day. But after searching by phone number, he found the reservation and ended up seating us, handing us over to a friendly waiter from Ecuador.
We were quickly served some bread varieties and tasty small Italian bites. We asked the waiter for help with the wine list, but to be honest, he didn’t seem very familiar with it — disappointing as the list consists mostly of quite pricey Italian wines. We chose a mid-priced one at around $130.
The nice waiter skillfully recited the specials (or the entire menu, I’m not sure), and I ordered the scallops wrapped in bacon and the rack of lamb. Both dishes were good. The place was packed and noisy, but that actually fit the New York/Italian vibe — more Little Italy than Greenwich Village.
Overall, it’s a unique restaurant with lively energy, but $440 (ex tip) for two people for two courses each feels too expensive for the experience. Hence the 3-star rating.