Macelleria

Once a meat warehouse in the now hip Meatpacking District, Macelleria offers rustic Italian fare and a wide selection of choice steaks and chops in the most popular neighborhood in NYC. The extended wine list offers hand-selected wines from all regions of Italy.

We went to Macelleria to celebrate a friend's birthday and we definitely went all out. As we walked into the restaurant, whose name means butcher shop in Italian, I got the sense of a formal but trendy restaurant. The dining room seemed warm with dark wood and brick. As we were taken to our table though, we headed downstairs to another dining room that reminded me of a wine cellar with stone walls and a few large tables. It was a little loud with the other tables full, but I really liked the space.

As for the food, it was even better than the space. We started with a "fresh bufala mozzarella." The cheese was delicious and soft and it was served with some of the best tomatoes I've ever had (and I generally don't like tomatoes). For my main dish I went with the pappardelle al cinghiale, a wide noodle pasta with wild boar sauce. The sauce was flavorful, but i couldn't tell it was boar versus another mainstream meat like ground beef. The dish was good, though maybe I should have gone with a steak, as the restaurant was voted the best steakhouse in New York by Citysearch last year.

Our friend Mark had the filet mignon with green peppercorn sauce. It was the largest filet I have ever seen, and it looked amazing. He described the sauce as spicy yet not overbearing.

V and Lauren ordered a special pasta, tagliatelli with porcini mushrooms. The one little taste I had was rich and delicious and V said the mushrooms were very fresh. Other dishes we ordered included eggplant baked with mozzarella and tomatoes. The bitter rind of the eggplant was a nice flavor in the dish and the meat of the eggplant wasn't mushy. The crispy roasted duck with orange sauce was kind of an Italian take on sweet-and-sour.

On top of all these dishes, we ordered a few sides: fried zucchini, shoestring fires, and grilled mushrooms. The mushrooms were very flavorful and almost steak-like. The zucchini was amazing, though I suppose just about anything fried is delicious.

Then to cap off the whole great meal, we ordered desserts and coffee. (Miraculously, V tried the cappuccino--and liked it!) The desserts were all a great cap to the meal - a fluffy and light New York cheesecake, a small but rich chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and a surprisingly delicious (my favorite) apple strudel with cinnamon ice cream.

All in all, this was just a great meal.The service was good, with a friendly waitstaff who were attentive to refilling drinks and keeping our table satisfied. The menu has a range of prices for dishes from a $16 pasta to their $86 porterhouse for two. The wine list has a lot of nice selections from Italy and a few other regions. I think I'll have to go back again for the steak! I definitely had a bite or two too much to eat, but it was worth it--and I'm very grateful to Mark for having a birthday and to Lauren for hosting the party!

Cafe Centosette

Following our big move into Manhattan, we felt we deserved a big meal after all of our hard work. Cafe Centosette, an Italian cafe was recommended by two friends, and was the closest in proximity to our apartment. It is a small, cozy place with tables very close together. Our server had issues with getting our meals ordered and served properly, but was nice enough about it. We each ordered pasta, and the dishes were all quite delicious. The side of spinach was perfectly cooked and seasoned well. The most bizarre part of the meal was getting a carafe of white wine with ice cubes in it. I've never seen that at a restaurant before... We have heard since that this restaurant is even better for brunch, so we'll have to head back there to try it.

Giambellis

For over 40 years, Giambelli 50th has graced the East Side with renowned authentic Italian cuisine. You can expect the white glove treatment from host Frank Giambelli and his staff in this elegant, upscale restaurant.

Giambellis is a classic Italian restaurant in midtown that has stood the test of time. It is a restaurant her family has visited many times and someplace I wanted to experience too. So V and I went for "Christmas dinner" before heading home for the holidays.

The restaurant appears as though is hasn't changed at all in its more than 40 years. From the arrangement of the tables, to the upholstery, to the menu and staff (though I suppose they have aged), everything seems original, and classic.

Perhaps my palate is becoming more refined, or my standards too high, but I wasn't entirely impressed with our first two courses. I ordered fried zucchini to start that was rather tasteless, and I found myself adding lots of salt to the dish. V had a mushroom salad that was good, but nothing terribly unique. My pasta, Linguine "Amatricana," flat spaghetti with prosciutto, onions and tomato sauce, too was a bit bland, though I really liked V's Paglia e Fieno, white and green noodles with prosciutto, onions, and cream sauce.

The real treat though was dessert: Zabaione, a frothy concoction of egg yolks whipped with wine and sugar served over fresh berries. We loved the table-side preparation of the dessert and it was a delicious indulgence to kick-start the rest of our approaching "filling" holiday meals.

I'm glad I experienced Giambellis and I wouldn't turn anyone away from such a classic New York experience as dining here, where even the Pope once came. Next time I'll choose a little more carefully from the menu. Oh and one other surprise—this was the first restaurant I've been to with a "captain" and an associated line on the bill for a "Captain Tip" (as I first saw on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Peasant

I happened upon Peasant a few blocks from one of my favorite restaurants, Public. I was immediately impressed by the space as we walked in, with a large wine bar at the entrance and rustic wooden tables in the back framed by a big brick oven. We couldn't get a table actually, they were booked full, but there is another bar in the basement that serves food. It was one of the coolest dining experiences I've had in New York.

The dynamic at Peasant interesting because of the unfinished peasant-like atmosphere combined with fancy food and wine. The basement bar is even more rustic, with distressed wood paneling on the walls, almost rickety handmade tables that were knotted and bumpy and bench seating. The space was dim and candlelit, and cramped. But I liked it. It is amazing the things you'll pay for in New York: dinner at a rickety table in a dark basement. The menu is Italian, with some good pastas, seafood dishes and some more unique offerings like quail and of course pizza. The food was good, not stellar. I really enjoyed the various olives that were set out in the bar areas that we munched on before taking our table.

I really was impressed by the atmosphere and the overall experience at Peasant. It was a little expensive, which is typical though oxymoronic for something whose name basically means poor, but I guess it goes to show that with simple ingredients you can make great things, and even in what might be though of as grungy a great space can emerge.

Casa Bella

Some family friends were in town and invited me to join them for dinner in Little Italy. I couldn't make a restaurant recommendation, because all I know about Little Italy is that there are a lot of great places to eat. Walking down Mulberry Street, we came upon Casa Bella and decided to give it a try.

Located at our famous outside mall, on the well known corner of Mulberry Street, where the GoodFellas walk by. There are plenty of colorful tables, umbrellas, music, singing and real good Italian food. That is what our restaurant in old fashioned Little Italy is all about.

It was a very nice dinner, and the service was attentive and friendly. I tried the gnocchi with chicken and three cheese sauce. The pasta (gnocchi) was a little dry on the inside, not as soft as I've had before but the sauce was very good. The chicken was thinly sliced (almost deli-meat like) and then cut into small pieces. It made it easy to get a bite of gnocchi with chicken. My only other note on the dish was that it was all white: white pasta, white sauce, white-meat chicken, on a white plate, perhaps a different color plate or a garnish would have helped to make it a little more visually interesting.

We tried a variety of desserts including the cannoli, double chocolate cake, chocolate mousse and Italian cheesecake. One description of the cannoli was "cinnamony" which was interesting and apt, even though there wasn't cinnamon in it (I don't think). The chocolate cake looked delicious and rich, though I didn't try it. The mousse was light - "the way it should be" - and the cheesecake was Italian style, with ricotta, so it was lighter and softer than the typical New York style cheesecake.

Overall it was a very nice meal, with friendly service and good Italian food. After I finished my dish, I was enticed by other plates I saw around the restaurant, so perhaps I'll go back and see what else to try. Little Italy tends to be a bit touristy, but that doesn't mean you can't find a good dinner. I was definitely lucky to have such a nice meal with some great people (thanks!).

Morandi

I've read a lot about Morandi, and a few weeks back while exploring the Village (in search of a random artist on the street - long story), I walked past it (it is very near Central Kitchen), which inspired me to give it a try.

Morandi is a rustic Italian trattoria from restaurateur Keith McNally. Executive Chef Jody Williams creates regional dishes from Italy such as Pici al limone and Pizzoccheri al forno. In warmer months, Morandi welcomes guests at its sidewalk café.

V and I made reservations for dinner, but then I got sick and we bumped our plans back a few days to a Sunday brunch. We made our way downtown after church and as we walked to the restaurant we realized that the Gay Pride parade was about to begin. It definitely would have been an interesting meal with a parade marching by, but it turned out that the restaurant was a few blocks from the parade route.

Morandi goes a long way toward creating an authentic atmosphere for their restaurant, from the phone message with a nice Italian accent, to "WC" on the bathroom doors, shelves lined with wine jugs in the dining room, exposed beams along the ceiling, and artisan breads stacked near the kitchen, it all evokes the "rustic Italian trattoria" they're going for. Eating outside with views of New York city and lots of parade participants and spectators decked out in various attire walking by during our meal took away from the atmosphere a bit, but it was still quite nice. It definitely made for good people watching. Where else but New York city can you see drag queens and get authentic Italian at the same time?

The brunch menu had some interesting choices. We started with Cestino di pane, a selection of sweet breads including ricotta fritters, sugar donuts, Italian croissants, anise donuts, grape focaccia and sweet bread. We got little pieces of each of the breads and it was nice to try them all, though my favorite was the ricotta fritters. Our server told us they'd be served warm, but they came out room temperature.

I tried the Fagottini con prosciutto, a baked crepe with ham and fontina. It was very good with great ham and cheese tastes complimented by a soft crepe that was nicely crispy and buttery around the edges. I was very satisfied. V had Trofiette al pesto, a pasta with pesto, potatoes and green beans. I thought it would be odd to have potato in a pasta dish, and I wondered how it would be served. It was much different than we expected, the beans and the potato were mixed into the pasta itself, with he potato julienned into thin strips that fit well with the texture of the pasta. The pesto sauce was very good and gave the dish a nice green color.

After our meal, I was definitely satisfied, though I wanted more - not because I wasn't full, but because I felt like I didn't get the whole Morandi experience. Next time, I'll go for dinner, and I'll sit inside to really soak it all in. Overall it's pretty reasonably priced, with good service and a great atmosphere.

Umbertos Clam House

Umbertos Clam House is my first restaurant in the Bronx! Now all I have left is to eat somewhere in Staten Island to complete the "Restaurant Reminder Quinfecta™". Anyhow, Umbertos claims don't add up to the real experience they provide. Located in little Italy in the Bronx, on Arthur Avenue, the restaurant is in the heart of a real Italian neighborhood, with great markets, delis, bakeries and butcher shops. I expected an authentic meal, not necessarily the pinnacle of cuisine, but at least quality Italian food, even for a Friday lunch. Really to me though the restaurant seemed more like a chain seafood/Italian place, with lots of nautical stuff screwed on to the walls and lacking the authentic charm of the rest of the neighborhood.

The lunch menu wasn't very large and we all decided to take the lunch special, which included salad and an entree. The salad was plain, the typical house salad, with iceberg, a few cucumber slices and a cherry tomato, with a little plastic cup of dressing. For an entree I figured they'd have a good fish and chips, so I ordered it. It was probably the worst fish and chips I've ever had, seriously. The fries were soggy and flavorless, and the fish was dry and the breading was thin and close to soggy too. No crunch, no texture. It was disappointing. Further our service was slow and stuttered with one or two of us having to wait for their order after everyone else was served. Too bad. At least it was on the office! Maybe I need another Bronx experience to really claim the Quinfecta. (Probably more in Brooklyn too.)

p.s. Sorry I haven't posted much lately, I've got a backlog of about a dozen restaurants I'm beginning to work on today.

Momento

Momento is an Italian restaurant down the block from V's new apartment. We figured we needed to try it out now that she's a neighbor. I went in with hopes it could be the new "crepe place" (where we were pretty much regulars on weekend mornings), but it can't quite fill that hole after her move. We went on a Wednesday night and were one of only two or maybe three tables seated. This allowed them to keep a great focus on our table, so the service was very good. The food too was good, though we didn't go all out trying a lot from the menu. V and I each had different salads, she tried the Caesar and I had a blue cheese and pear salad. The special was two-for-one drinks, which made the meal rather affordable - we each had two glasses of wine, for a total of $12 - in Manhattan, that'd be the cost of a single glass! I'll have to go back again on a more busy night to see how everything stands up.

Locale

Locale's style reflects the neighborhood's modern yet multi-cultural chic aspect, which has become a signature of present day Astoria. Locale's diverse menu can accommodate almost any taste, whether it's and early afternoon brunch or an intimate dinner.

I'd been to Locale before I even moved to the city, but this weekend was my first time back. The small restaurant is a few blocks off the subway line, tucked away in a residential part of Astoria. It has a great atmosphere that's a combination of restaurant and lounge, with a couches on an elevated area in the corner and floor-to-ceiling windows around the dining room. The restaurant was crowded, though I'd say it is a little pricey for the neighborhood, but the cuisine is definitely above average.

We ordered the fried zucchini as an appetizer. It wasn't even on the menu, but our server suggested it, and we were pleased with the choice. The strips were lightly breaded and crispy, and not too greasy. There was a saucer of marinara sauce for dipping, but it was too chunky and the zucchini strips too thin to make it easy to dip into and get good 'coverage'. >We also tried the crab cake, which was served with a dill sauce that I found to be a little overpowering, V liked it though. It wasn't that 'lumpy' but didn't seem to be loaded with much bread either.

I ordered the seafood pasta which was served with a whole assortment of seafood: scallops, shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari and crab. There was a good amount of everything but some of it, like the scallops, was grainy. The pasta itself wasn't anything special, and the sauce wasn't quite what I expected, as it was rather thin. I had ordered the dish with a white sauce which was flavorful but thin, and didn't really stick to anything.

Other times we've eaten at Locale the food was very good, and we tried tonight to keep the price down. I can imagine that at a restaurant like this you really get what you pay for, and there are some chef's specialties like the Mozzarella Olivata which is homemade cheese served hot with olives and tomatoes. It is distinctive and delicious. The restaurant has a great atmosphere, good crowd, good service and a unique take on the cuisine, I'll try it again sometime when my pocketbook can better take the hit.

Just Arthur's

Just Arthur's is a traditional Italian restaurant on the corner of Steinway and Ditmars in Astoria. I went there for dinner with V, because we've jogged by a few times, and a friend said it's pretty good. Before we headed out, I searched for reviews, and found one so glowing I thought the reviewer was paid to write it and a few others that were more in line with what I thought (after dinner).

The service was friendly and food was good, but not anything really unique that blew me away. V had a penne dish with sausage. I enjoyed a few bites, and as leftovers the next day with some added cheese, it was great. I had meatloaf, something I figured I wouldn't make at home anytime soon, served with mashed potatoes (real) and corn (from a can). It was pretty good, but not too memorable. The side salad was iceberg lettuce with a few cucumbers, carrots and cherry tomatoes--and the largest glob of ranch dressing ever.

Overall: good for a low key and relatively cheap dinner in the neighborhood, but i probably won't be bringing many out of town guests.

Patsy's

"Patsy's Italian Restaurant is a traditional, family-owned and operated Italian restaurant located in the theater district on Manhattan’s west side." I went there for lunch today with my office. The food was good, if pricey, and the service was excellent.

I had the veal chop ($35), which was huge and not as tasty as I expected, perhaps full-grown beef is more to my tastes. We also had calamari and fried zucchini, which were good, but to me could have used a bit more salt and and could have been crispier - is this a result of the no-trans fat law in NYC? Dessert was excellent: I tried the carrot cake (magnificent), chocolate cake (light) and Italian cheesecake (almost lemony).

Overall: glad the office paid for it, glad I got to eat there. Beware the mirrored staircase.