Tagged: Nello

Bar Pitti

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Sixth Avenue & Bleeker Street in the West Village belongs to the Da Silvano crew. Da Silvano essentially take up one entire end of the side walk during warm weather and the party doesn’t stop there as Scuderia is just right across the street. Actually, though the roots of Bar Pitti started with Silvano Marchetto, Giovanni Tognozzi (Silvano’s partner) split away from Silvano after he was accused of stealing Da Silvano’s famous meatball recipe. With that Bar Pitti contains similar Tuscan dishes such as Pappardelle Alla Fiesolana and Prosciutto Cotto E Mozzarella Grigliato and has the same chic sidewalk seating that draws massive crowds. The main difference between Da Silvano and Bar Pitti is that the prices are substantially lower at Bar Pitti than at Da Silvano. A plate of pasta costs around $20 at Da Silvano, which is nothing compared to the $39 plates of pasta at Nello, but only $13.50 at Bar Pitti. Of course that extra $6.50 buys you that slightly extra glamorous feel but its not that much of a difference and Bar Pitti is often more packed than Da Silvano and has the same clientele. Though at Bar Pitti the only place you should sit is outside. The inside is very tiny, narrow and gloomy and Bar Pitti doesn’t even have a bar which you could sit at. The outside seating is where its at. The service is very jittery and chaotic as the five waiter run around the Bar Pitti sidewalk and try to serve all tables at once resulting in hit-or-miss service. My table was fine, but this guy at table next to me got cheese grated on his lap instead of his pasta. As for the food, the pastas are pretty good and well worth the inexpensive price tag. I was served a generous portion of Rigatoni Pitti with turkey sausage, peas, cream, tomatoes & parmigiano which was great. The pasta was cooked al dente and the cream sauce had the flavors from both the smoked turkey and tomatoes to make it more than just the average pasta with cream sauce. The Penne Arrabbiata with tomato sauce with garlic, olive oil & crushed red pepper was a pretty simple Italian dish with a little spicy taste to it to make it less bland than a traditional Penne with Tomato Sauce. Bar Pitti is a place to see and be seen with out the Nello or Cipriani price tag. Though its not exactly glamorous on the inside, the prime sidewalk real estate is where the party is and don’t be surprised if you spot a celebrity or two and if you can bear with the service, you’ll get to enjoy some good Italian food at the same time!

Ambiance: 7

Food: 7

Service: 5

Overall: 6

Verdict: Mirage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cipriani Wall Street

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I was in a bit of a rush yesterday as I needed to get to my weekly Posse scholarship meeting and the MTA wasn’t exactly running smoothly. The place the meeting is held is on 14 Wall Street and I needed something quick, like take-out. My two options were Les Halles (15 John Street) or Cipriani Wall Street (55 Wall Street). Being that the Cipriani was about a block away I chose that. The Cipriani Wall Street is on the 2nd floor of Cipriani 55 which is a members only club, kind of like the Soho House in the Meatpacking District. Its rather awkward having to take an elevator up to the restaurant and you do feel like you’re eating at a hotel. When I reached the Cipriani, the restaurant looked very elegant especially with the dark wood bookcases and opulent chandeliers. But the restaurant is very small and the bar area is a bit gloomy and dark. Though in the spring and summer the Cipriani Wall Street boasts great outdoor seating overlooking Wall Street which is a plus! I ordered the Tagliardi with Veal Ragu and a coke. The Tagliardi was $22.95 (I don’t know why the Cipriani doesn’t round to the nearest dollar, trust me if we’re paying $23 for a plate of pasta we’re not missing that extra 5 cents) and the coke was $6, which I found to be absurd as I don’t even think Nello charges $6 for a coke. But none the less the Tagliardi was fantastic, the pasta was cooked well and the ragu was light and added the right amount of flavor. Though I don’t think I’d ever dine in at the Cipriani Wall Street as its more for members of Cipriani 55 and the workers on Wall Street, I would order take-out from them if I were in a rush though I’d stick to buying my drink at a corner store!

Ambiance: 8

Food: 7

Service: 7

Overall: 7

Verdict: Oasis

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The Spotted Pig

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After hearing all the hype about The Spotted Pig I felt the need to check it out. It was also a good change from the pretentious restaurants I’ve been going to latley (i.e. Sette Mezzo, Philippe, Nello’s etc.). The Spotted Pig is a very trendy low-key pub that’s a mix of a hipster hang-out and a place to people watch. The place is always crowded and since they don’t take reservations, getting a table can be a bit difficult. With investors such as Jay-Z & Mario Batali its no wonder the place is so popular. Since Jay-Z bought the building where The Spotted Pig is, they’ve added an upstairs bar and dining room so this has somewhat helped the large crowds overflowing onto the sidewalks. April Bloomfield is the head chef and the menu consists of Italian & English fused dishes. For lunch the menu isn’t really anything to rave about. The Spotted Pig serves their 2 staple dishes (Sheep’s Ricotta Gnudi and the Burger with Roquefort Cheese) and basically that’s all everyone in the restaurant orders. I saw perhaps one person order the Cubano Sandwich and everyone else either had the Gnudi or the Burger. The whole restaurant is very “hipster” from the waiters in Ray-Bands and plaid shirts to the water served in wine bottles and the brown paper over the table cloths. The food however is very gourmet. As an appetizer I had the special of the day which were Duck Eggs with a salad in a vinaigrette and bacon. The dish was good, nothing mind blowing, the saltiness of the bacon went well with the duck eggs and the contrast between the dressing and the saltiness of the bacon was a nice touch. The Burger is served with Roquefort Cheese and Shoestring Fries. The cheese’s sharp flavor actually went well with the large burger and so did the mountain of Shoestring fries. The gnudi, essentially a ricotta dumpling, was very rich and you could tell the ingredients, such as the sheep ricotta, were fresh. The Flourless Chocolate Cake was a slab of rich chocolate fudge that was a bit too heavy to have all by myself, but if you share it the dish is just fine. While I did enjoy my lunch at The Spotted Pig I do feel the place is a bit overrated. The menu has 2 hits and the rest sort of goes under the radar with most diners. If I were in the area I’d return, but if I was told the wait was longer than 45 minutes I don’t think the wait would be worth it.

Ambiance: 7

Food: 7

Service: 7

Overall: 7

Verdict: Oasis

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Mr. Chow (57 Street)

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Mr. Chow, Mr. Chow, Mr. Chow. I had such high expectations for you. After being “wowed” by your Tribeca location and by your former chef Philippe Chow at his self owned restaurant Philippe and with a reputation that is unmatched by any other Chinese restaurant, you were put up on a pedestal. Unfortunately you were knocked off that pedestal once I walked through the door. Through the glass doors with the famous Lalique door handles (the actual Lalique doors were sold some time ago) rests a smallish art-deco restaurant serving Chinese food to American palates. I had imagined the restaurant to be larger and to be honest a bit more elegant. Yes the grand mobile hanging from the ceiling and the giant bouquet of white lilies are quite charming, the cheap looking separator between the kitchen and dining room can be found at any take out Chinese restaurant and the cracks in the corner of the white laminated walls don’t exactly add to the ambiance. The crowd is mixed ranging from business men to the couples who come for restaurant week who only came because its “Mr. Chow”. I myself came for the food but did order off the restaurant week menu. This menu is similar to Mr. Chow Tribeca’s “Recession Buster” menu as it contains almost the same exact items but the restaurant week menu is $35 (for 3 courses) while the “Recession Buster” menu is $38 (for 2 courses). I must say the “Recession Buster” menu is the better value. Though you are getting one more course, the restaurant week menu was smaller portioned. The food at Mr. Chow 57 left more to desire. The Mr. Chow Noodles weren’t as flavorful as I expected and were far better at the Tribeca location and even at Philippe. The squab with lettuce was essentially the chicken lettuce wraps at Philippe and quite frankly they were better at Philippe. The chicken tasted like nothing if it wasn’t paired with the plum sauce. The Velvet Chicken was good I must say, I give credit where credit is due, and wasn’t as spicy as it is at Philippe. The Fresh Sea Bass Fillet, while the fish was cooked well, failed to produce any flavor sadly. The “sauteed” rice served as a side wasn’t as smooth or as good as the rice at Mr. Chow Tribeca but the string beans were a pretty good side dish. What appalled me most about Mr. Chow 57 was the service. I was pleasantly surprised about the great service at the Tribeca outpost, but at this Mr. Chow it was the total opposite. Yes I must say everyone was kind and that they took my food allergies seriously, but they tried to rush us out of there way too fast. I’ve been rushed out by Ajna Bar and Pastis before but this was taken to a new level. Our appetizers tried to be taken away while we were still eating (we had to tell them to leave them there after the insisted on taking them) and our entrees were received while we still had our appetizers. They brought our our entree plates and made us move our appetizer plates so they could place them on our table (their excuse was that our current plates were dirty). The waiters also don’t present you with the restaurant week menu and are very pushy, almost as bad as the managers at Nello‘s. The food and decor were average and the service was awful thus leaving me no reason to return to Mr. Chow on 57th Street. I’d however love to go back to Mr. Chow Tribeca anytime!

Ambiance: 5

Food: 5

Service: 3

Overall: 4

Verdict: Mirage

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STK

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STK is more of a raging party than it is a restaurant. 90% of the patrons didn’t come for the food and half of the other 10% are too drunk to know what the food tastes like, which explains the exorbitantly expensive food. Few entrees are below $30 and even less taste good, but I’ll get to that a bit later. STK is owned by One Group which is also affiliated with Bagatelle and Tenjune. All venues are very chic, trendy, expensive and are slowly becoming very bridge & tunnel. STK does not deviate from this one bit. Though its not as large as say Ajna Bar or Buddakan, STK is equally as chic in design. A fire place lights up the bar area to some extent so one can navigate, slowly, through dancing patrons and faux-leather couches. The one thing that I did love about the crowd at STK is that everyone acts as if its one big party so don’t be alarmed if the table next to you pulls you over to start singing to the latest Rihanna song. Like I said earlier, the food leaves much to be desired. While the tuna tartare I ordered as an appetizer was actually quite good, none of the entrees were up to par. The Organic Free Range Chicken was dry and flavorless. The Roasted Lamb Porterhouse, though was cooked well, tasted unseasoned and bland. The Hudson Valley Duck Breast was the only marginally good dish as the duck was cooked well and produced some form of flavor. The sides I ordered, the truffle fries and mac and cheese, were both awful and not even worth the $6 price tag (I’d rather pay $26 for a plate of pasta with butter at Nello‘s than pay $6 for STK’s truffle fries). None the less, I’d return to STK solely for the “party” atmosphere. The food isn’t good but the atmosphere and decor make up for it enough to even out the good and the bad.

Ambiance: 8

Food: 3

Service: 5

Overall: 5

Verdict: Mirage

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Nello’s

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Of course after having lunch at Sant Ambroeus I had to have lunch at Nello‘s. Actually in all honesty, my lunch wasn’t intended to be at Nello. I had stopped in front of the restaurant and one of the managers had pushed us into the place and immediately sat us for lunch. If he hadn’t done that I doubt I would have went that day. But none the less since I really wanted to go all was well. The restaurant has the feel of Pastis except with a more upscale clientele and a few more tourists and wealthy families. There’s, of course, the Russian prostitute seated at the front at the bar so the old rich men who dine at Nello’s can have a date for the evening. The best seat is by the window in the front and in the summer on the sidewalk but lets face it, you’re not getting that sidewalk seat unless you either are a regular or come early. [Photo via]

The owner, Nello Balan, knows how to run his business. If the restaurant is having a slow day he’ll invite his friends or pedestrians to eat in the restaurant for free. He’s also set out phony bills that state that Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich spend over $47000 at the restaurant as a publicity stunt (word is that Abramovich is seeking legal action). The two managers in the front while friendly are very pushy so beware if you are just stopping into Nello’s to look at the menu (which I’ll get to later) because there’s a good chance they will almost force you to eat there if a table is empty. Nello’s is famous for their lavish flower bouquets and grand setting so its no wonder why the place is always bustling. But I must warn you, Nello’s happens to be one of the most absurdly priced restaurants in Manhattan. I’m fine with the pricing of Italian restaurants such as Babbo and Marea where a plate of pasta has an average cost of $25 (at Babbo) and a pre-fixe lunch menu can run at $38 a person (at Marea), but when a plate of Fettuccine is $38 which is more costly than what Del Posto, I begin to have an issue. Luckily I knew about these crazy prices before going to I wasn’t too shocked when the bill came (so I wasn’t “Nello’d” as people would say). The service is very cordial and does its job of taking care of its patrons, though it can get a bit crazy during lunch service. As an appetizer I ordered the Carpaccio con Palmito and as an entree I had the Gnocchi. Though the prices were high I must say the food at Nello’s was good. The Fillet Mignon used in the carpaccio was fresh as were the avocado and hearts of palm. The Gnocchi was a bit mushy and overcooked for my taste but the sauce and fresh buffalo mozzarella saved the poor cooking of the Gnocchi. For dessert I had the Napoleon which was fantastic. I must say my only true complaint about Nello’s was the prices. The food is good, the ambiance is perfect and the service is decent. If Nello were priced the same as Sant Ambroeus I’d be there more often! But since its not I’d say its worth checking out even if it is just for one time.

Ambiance: 8

Food: 6

Service: 7

Overall: 7

Verdict: Oasis

Sant Ambroeus (Upper East Side)

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My afternoon lunch was intended to be at Philippe, once again, but since I arrived a bit late Philippe’s lunch service had ended already. Since I didn’t want to head downtown for lunch and kind of wanted to stay local, meaning on Madison Avenue, my options were limited. Since La Goulue and Fredrick’s have closed down my options were now: Nello‘s or Sant Ambroeus. Since I didn’t exactly want to go to Nello’s by myself (but then again in a recession I wouldn’t exactly want anyone to see me pay $40 for a plate of pasta), I chose Sant Ambroeus on 78th & Madison. Sant Ambroeus began in Milan and eventually popped up on the Upper East Side, West Village and in Midtown with Casa Lever. The front of their Upper East Side outpost is specifically for sandwiches, pastries and coffees. The back dining room is meant for food in addition to the cafe menu. The diners at Sant Ambroeus range from waspy & elderly to Manhattan private high school students to wealthy tourist families. The menu contains traditional Milanese dishes such as La Caprese (buffalo mozzarella), Ravioli di Mozzarella e Pomodoro and of course Costoletta alla Milanese (Veal Milanese). Service is what’s expected in a restaurant like Sant Ambroeus, courteous but a bit overwhelmed at times. Don’t expect personal attention here as your waiter will probably also be serving at least 9 more tables besides yours. The food at Sant Ambroeus was good, but not as good as I expected it to be. My Tartare di Tonno con Insalata di Campo (Tuna Tartar Salad) was very light and simple, but it wasn’t anything I haven’t seen nor tasted before. The Ravioli di Mozzarella e Pomodoro was far too simple to make for a compelling dish as it was just Ravioli filled with Mozzarella with tomato sauce and eggplant. It wasn’t bad, but I was expecting something with a bit more pizazz. Sant Ambroeus, while good to visit, didn’t convince me to visit a second time for either lunch or dinner. However, I would be more than happy to go there again and sit in the cafe for dessert and coffee especially since Sant Ambroeus is famous for its pastries and cookies. Of course its a place to see and be seen but my advice would be to stay clear of the dining room and stick to the cafe menu, if you can get a table that is.

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