03/17/09

Impressed... Subtle food and service

by lauren6740

Noodle pudding is exactly the type of service and food I enjoy. Servers are all different, Greg is my favorite. Sometimes tables don't understand his sense of humor but it's refreshing to have a server who has personality, professionalism, and respects the privacy of your dinner. This is the first place I've been that a runner remembers my order... hope he likes his job because I have half a mind to steal him for my restaurant. Prices are fair across the board for both food and bev. I go out to eat and like my courses, servers are patient and never rush courses or force another drink. Restaurants in manhattan should try to model food and service after this place.

• Pros: price point, wine selection, service
• Cons: If you go too early you may be stuck in stroller parking

02/24/09

Maggot in the food!

by marybern5240

I've been wanting to go to this place forever and finally got a table. The menu looked great, and the waiter was very nice, but when the food came, it was average. Nevertheless, I finished my plate, and that's when I found a maggot in mushroom sauce at the bottom. I showed it to the manager, and he smilingly apologized and brought us two free desserts (but did not ask us what we wanted and so brought the last two desserts we would have asked for). When the bill came, nothing was comped, so I told the manager very politely that we were willing to pay for the wine, but I didn't think I should have to pay for food with a maggot in it. Yes, I ate the food, but I certainly would not have if I had seen the maggot before eating, and I was at this point fairly sick to my stomach. The manager finally said he would comp the two glasses of wine (which cost less than the food), and made it seem like a big concession. We paid and left because we didn't feel like arguing any more. I have worked in restaurants and cook a lot, and there is no way a maggot should be able to get into well prepared food. For a restaurant with such a good reputation and that is usually so packed, there was no reason for such a lack of intelligent customer service.

01/24/09

Overrated at best

by chefyinbrooklyn

Went here tonight on a recommendation of a few people as well as the stellar reviews. The appetizers that we ordered, Polpo(Octopus) was tasty, but the Carpacchio was more like an arugula salad instead of carpacchio and was in need of salt. Our main entrees the Tagliatelle Bolognese was also okay. Nothing special, just some ground chuck in tomato sauce and the Veal Cheeks special could've also used more salt in the polenta and the cippolini onions could've been cooked a few minutes longer. The veal cheeks themselves were cooked perfectly but lacked salt. The wait between appetizer and entree was a ridiculous 30 minutes considering we were one of the first tables seated. Overall not what I expected for all the hype. I can understand going there if I were to live in the neighborhood but not worth the trip. Al Di La is much better Italian food especially for the price.

• Pros: Neighborhood destination
• Cons: Pricey, long wait in between courses