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1st Ave-14th St (L)
Mon-Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
"Honestly can you beat 1 dollar slice pizza? You cant! What I love about this place is not only the $1 Slices but also the pizza is…" read more »
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I know I know, I only give fours. Four means I'd go back. So I'm like homer when he was the happy critic. whatevs.
Anyhow, there are a few things that recommend gnocco over the 8000 other italian places in NYC. Cold beer isn't one of them. The Forst was lukewarm. Come on!
What does stand out is the pizza. Super thin crust, really great ingredients. Also of note was the excellent incorporation of bacon or bacon like product into all of our mains. I had the tortteloni with chick peas, bacon, tomato and chiles. I could possibly eat this every day.
not a bad wait even with out the reservation... seems like the hostess could be a lil nicer tho... she seemed stressed... she did lighten up later and checked up on us since we agreed to squeeze at a small table meant for four which was nice of her to offer and give us this option so we wouldn't have to wait so long! Bartender was good tho... a lil busy but still really knew his wines and gave us recommendations on wines!
now the food wow... so friggin cheap...
- must have this gnocco di prosciutto... its like a mexican sopapilla... puffed fried dough that u can eat with 3 varieties of cured meats that are not overly salted... perfect appetizer
- cured salmon with fennel didn't really win me over... fennel taste too strong for me, and was lacking something like either lemon or salt... dish just tasted bland even though it had tons of toppings like corn etc
- burata - ok i still like south gate's burata dish way better but thats really not comparable as this is more italian way of presenting just simple with olive oil drizzle and fresh cherry tomatos and basil
- truffle pizza - words cannot describe... thin crispy yet chewy crust... tons of mushrooms but not overpowering... not soggy at all... not bland and not overly salty... huge... fed the five of us comfortably
- fusilli - nice spicy kick, tomatoey sauce with chunks of meat but not runny yet not creamy, pasta nicely cooked al denty has a nice chew to it
- basil pesto pasta - yum think of two lil pasta sticks stuck together and nice and chewy with tons of basil and bits of fun potato hidden in this dish... very fun and yummy... both pasta dishes yielded such diff flavors it was perfect!
dessert got a dessert calzone - just like the thin crust pizza we had for dinner but this time with fruit and nutella on the inside... not overly doughy as i thought it was gonna be which was a great way to end the meal!
oh man totally coming back... all this plus a whole bottle of wine for 25 bucks total each... wat a great dinner meal!!!
Gnocco is a really lovely little place overlooking Tompkins Square Park, and I think the best word to describe it is "relaxed". The light wood interior, candlelight, and laidback (in a good way!) staff make for a really cozy, homey dining experience. Perfect for a date, but also nice for friends or families.
If you don't start with the "gnocco" appetizer you'll be missing out. It's really light and airy fried dough (like a featherweight pita bread) with melt-in-your-mouth delicious cold-cuts. Drool. You could probably leave happy just eating this dish with a glass of wine, but their pastas are drool-worthy, too. Go hungry!
I usually space out when waiters give me their specials-schpiel, but don't do it here as I've had my best luck with their pasta specials. The pizza is a little too piled high with stuff for my liking (I like my salad in a bowl, thanks) but that's just me. Pick a wine, order the gnocco, get a pasta, talk your date into ordering a pizza, et voila - you'll love it!
Too busy and loud on a Saturday. Had Pizza Capricciosa...it was a bit disappointing. Pasta was good but not great.
Food is wonderful, very authentic, small place, but full on Italian. Service a little slow, but think its just the way this place works. Great pizza!
This place gets 3 1/2 stars partially bc we didnt like our appetizer but loved our pasta. So the gnocco appetizer is way overrated but we ordered it after rave reviews from our waitress. It is 6 airy deep fried dough puffs served with charcuterie. We guess you were suppose to eat the meat and the puffs together, but we were really underwhelmed. Our pasta on the otherhand was fabulous. We had the whole wheat tubetti served with cherry tomatoes, chickpeas and pancetta. The dish was fabulous, the pasta was homemade and it had so many different flavors in one bite including the smokiness from the pancetta, spicy, hearty from the peas and rosemary also. We would have preferred if the rosemary was chopped instead of the long needles. We also had the pasta with the gorgonzola and walnuts. The pasta was homemade and perfectly cooked with just the right amount of gorgonzola sauce. We were pleasantly surprised at the portions of our pasta dish. We will definitely return for the pasta alone, and next time will probably try a pizza as an app, and pass on the gnocco!
This place has so much potential.
My grandparents are Italian and thus I have eaten homemade delicious Italian food all my life. I say this because I am always irked when I pay $16+ for what is essentially just bread/sauce/maybe some meat thrown in there. However don't take this the wrong way. I love going out to eat and I specifically LOVE going out and getting a romantic italian dinner.
That being said, I am conflicted about what I want to write for this review. Everything about my meal I enjoyed, except for what I actually ordered for dinner.
My date and I started things off with the mozzarella/tomato/basil appetizer. This was delicious(it should be it's kind of hard mess that up).
She got the Fusilli while I opted for the Gnocchi. This was not a good decision on my part. As soon as it arrived I realized that I definitely didn't want it for dinner.
On top of that the Gnocchi itself was quite bland.
The fusilli, as I found out via snagging a taste, was awesome. Many different flavors. An orgy of flavors, if you will, on my tongue. THIS is what I should have ordered, I thought.
Besides the actual food, the service was great and of course the feel of the place is spectacular. Especially on a beautiful summer night.
For the longest time I wanted to give this place 3 stars but I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and bump it up to 4.
Check Gnocco out if you haven't and as long as you don't get the Gnocchi you'll be quite happy.
I want to come back and try other things on the menu...
Good restaurant. Needs more veggie on the menu.
Service and atmosphere are good.
Walking out of Gnocco I had the same feeling I get after watching a good movie without having even seen the trailer. Expectations can sometimes just kill the experience and it is precisely the lack of expectations in this case that worked to Gnocco's benefit. A solid Italian fare, appropriately priced and hidden enough to get seated immediately. I believe they only take CASH. If it were a few bucks cheaper I would have thrown in the last star. But overall great dining experience and it looks like it would be great for groups. I know I'll be back for sure.
Great find!
Their pizza is delectable - over 12 kinds of authentic, rustic pizza to choose from. My friend noted that the margherita pizza was the best he's ever had - a great mix between cheese and sauce.
Service was quick. The portions are large enough to share.
The garden was perfect for outdoor eating.
Hands down one of my faves in the city! I went here two years ago for my birthday with a group of friends and it was absolutely perfect (and I've returned a few times since...) Great ambiance, fantastic garden in the back. Really attractive waiters and overall good service and helpful staff.
My favorite salad is definitely the Insalata Veronica (mesclun salad with apple, pine nuts and fresh corn and lemon vinaigrette) and I always get gnocci. It's excellent there. Not too heavy, just delicious. Great wines.
I recommend this place for a date. with a few girlfriends. with a large group. anything. It's fantastical.
This place MADE MY DAY!
I walked home after an exam and was exhausted...I didn't even want to think of heating anything up in the kitchen tonight...I wanted food and I wanted it NOW!
My usually route includes passing by Gnocco, but I've never graced it with my presence...can't believe it's almost been a year!
As I glanced inside, the guy behind the pizza counter was twirling a piece of dough in the air and right when the dough landed on his hands, I knew I wanted Italian!
Walked in...asked for a take-out menu and saw that 'Gnocco' was a "deep fried homemade dough served with traditional cold cuts of meat," cool, but not craving that now. Another time perhaps! @_@
It all looked good, I asked the coy pizza maker which his favorite pasta was ...in an AWESOME Italian way he said, "Maccheroni Prosciutto E Rucola (Arugula)" ...OK!
Went into the actual restaurant to pay a handsome long-haired waiter and waited...as I stood there I realized how wonderful this place was...they had an outdoor GARDEN...beautiful! #_@ That's where I"ll be next time!
Not long 'til the pasta was in my hands and as I walked out, the pizza man handed me a pizza box..."Here! It's a pizza for you! You are the millionth customer!" ....huh? What?...OK! (probably a wrong order for someone else) FREE FOR ME? YES! Thank you!! ^_^ What did I do to deserve this? Was it JUST MY LUCK?
....I was too out of it to even gesture in for a hug (SORRY, I REALLY DID APPRECIATE IT!!)...you caught me off guard...@home I ended up sharing everything with my roomies :)
Pasta - al dente, creamy and YUM!
Pizza - thin crispy crust with mushrooms, prosciutto, mozzarella, shallots, and YUM!
Grazie Mr. pizza man! I'll be back as my usual self to pay my real visit!
What a cute place!!! Love the backyard garden.. Perfect for the summer afternoon, drink wine.. chill with friends.. Of course perfect for date too!!
Cam here a lovely afternoon with friends for brunch..heard many good things about this place.. Definitely didn't disappoint me!! aside from the service wasn't on the top of rating... maybe we sat there too long( come on it wasn't they were super busy )
Come back here for sure!!
I really really like this place. We came here as a large group (+12) and it was no problem for the waiter (as sometimes waiters get overwhelmed with groups over 6). It was a crowded Saturday night, so the service was little slow, but in good company it hardly matters. The wine was flowing and the appetizers can out relatively quick. I have no idea what appetizer items were ordered, but I know they were all delicious. The stretched mozzarella with tomato was yum as was the prosciutto (not overly salty). I ordered the pesto gnocci with cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella - to D-I-E for. Absolute heaven. I also tried the fettuccine ragu, which was also really good. I need to go back asap and try all the pizza, seriously, all of them.
This place was highly recommended by my former co-worker so I decided to give this place a try (on a pseudo-date with my current co-worker. lol). It wasn't as good as I expected and maybe because I thought it would be much better.
-Caprino Tiepido was really realyl good if you are into something sweet.
-Carciofo gratinato al Caprino was okay. We barely touched this.
-Tagliatelle con Prosciutto di Parma e Piselli was eh
-Ravioli (daily special) was good
I won't necessarily recommend this place to others but it's wasn't too bad. Oh. A few slices of bread they give you were amazingly good. :D
We shared the Insalata di Rughetta Emiliana: Arugula salad with crunchy pancetta and 12 yrs aged balsamic vinegar from Modena. It was fresh and delicious. I loved the pancetta :-) Our chianti wine was perfect with all our selections. The Gnocco : homemade deep fried dough with a selection of typical northern Italian cold cuts, along with the salad, was a wonderful starter. The Affumicata Pizza; smoked mozzarella, tomato sauce and italian sausages, was beautifully cooked. We topped our meal off with a delectable Torta Al Cioccolato E Caffe; chocolate mousse, coffee biscuit, almond, bavarian coffee. Overall a fantastic meal and very polite ingratiating service in a lovely atmosphere. Highly recommended.
Had dinner here with five friends on Saturday and was less than impressed. The rather mediocre food would have been much, much easier to overlook had the service not been so ridiculously bad. I started out with a fried artichoke appetizer which came out as greasy and bland as something warmed up in the microwave. I picked at that while waiting for my salad to show up, which it never did--Our waiter, who actually spoke to me at some length about the timing of the app and the salad never put the order in. I also had the Maccheroni al Torchio, which I would actually recommend. Mostly, our party agreed that the food was nothing special and by the time the bill came, it felt like we had been there for an eternity--mostly waiting. The waiter, who was very attractive but may well have been stoned, had to be repeatedly prompted to go look for drinks which had been ordered long before. I was over half-way through desert before my cup of plain old coffee--I was scared to ask for anything more complex--was delivered. Oh, and as a party of six the gratuity was, of course, added to the bill which is perhaps why the waiter was content to stand in the wait station chatting rather than waiting on us. I would only suggest this place as a last resort back up for someplace you really want to eat, which is how we ended there to begin with. . . .And seriously, I'm not even that hard to please. . . .
I Spent a nice Sunday afternoon in their back yard drinking Sangria and eating very nice Hors d'oeuvres with a couple of Broads i Know.
The girls were impressed and so was i. Very Attentive Staff and a nice selection of food and cocktails.
If you feel like a slum-dog, check out this spot across from Thomkins Sq. park.
big Joe
Very good truffle pizza, great outdoor patio dining area in the summer.
If you get what you pay for, I wish there was some black truffles in my pasta. So, yeah, you're paying West Village prices for Alphabet City pasta. You know what? It's still all good.
Fried artichoke with shaved romano was heavy and could have been served hotter. The huge bowl of potato asparagus soup was overwhelming, but I managed to finish it. Great gnocci in a seriously savory meat ragut was a stand-out, as well as the tagliatelli in a carbonara sauce.
The service was a whirling dervish of efficiency. Everyone was on a date, but my friend and I stared off into the eyes of our handsome Italian waitstaff. Ladies, don't come to Gnocco if you're on the fence. You'll come for a dinner and leave with a waiter.
There's a reason this place has stood the test of time in the flighty restaurant scene of the east village and NYC overall.
Good service, very good food (I recommend the veal ragu gnocchi, as well as the prosciutto ravioli with tomatoes if it is available as a special) and great pizza. The Italian chef/owner knows how pizza should be made...I look forward to going back!
Gnocco, you own my soul. The waitstaff can come off gruff at first, but here's how sweet they actually are: Once, I ordered takeout at the bar, and the total came to $15 and change. I offered them my Visa. "Only American Express," the owner told me. "Oh," I said, low on cash and hungry. "Is there an ATM nearby?" "How much cash do you have?" he asked. I checked my wallet: $11. "That's fine," he said. I was incredulous. A third off my favorite thin-crust pizza in the world? (The capricciosa, in case you're wondering.) I demurred, but he insisted, and I walked out a satisfied man.
Dining in is also great -- tasty wine, authentic pasta, beautiful Italian servers. You won't be disappointed.
Gnocco is Yuck-O!
(Sorry, I couldn't resist saying that...)
Everything was pretty mediocre here, I thought. We all ordered a different pasta dish, so we got to try a little of everything. Absolutely nothing was a standout. The scallop dish was bland and overcooked.
We definitely got the feeling that we could cook a way better pasta ourselves at home.
With all the other great little Italian restaurants all over the East Village, I can't recommend coming to Gnocco. It's lacking charm somehow. Our food and experience at Cacio e Pepe were so much better. But that was a couple of years ago, so don't know if Cacio e Pepe is still as good as they once were.
this place not only has the dark eyed italian waiters with charming old world accents but also the italian old world charm. be sure to get a table in the back covered patio and you'll have your honey purring.
1. the tuna carpaccio was so thinly sliced and fresh.
2. the fried artichoke was hearty and tasty.
3. the contadina salad was very generous - enough to share for 2-3.
4. you can't go wrong with any of the pastas since they are all homemade goodness but i went with the spinach and ricotta ravioli.
just scrumptious.
5. the monk fish was light, juicy and delicious.
and don't stop there without trying one of their decadent desserts.
we absolutely devoured the semi-freddo.
besides, you can always work out tomorrow.
hmmm...i might even get myself an italian trainer...
Yum, yum gimme some more!
I had a delicious time here... I loved just about everything I ate but the zeppole dish that was made from lobster and oyster (I just didn't like the oyster part).
The pizza was excellent and full of flavor but I didn't like how the middle of the pizza was kind of soggy. Otherwise, I loved the crust and the toppings and cheese all tasted fresh. The pasta was also delicious... fresh, homemade, and with a delicate flavor.
Definitely try the gnocco which is a light fried dough served with three different types of meat and the mozzerella served with black truffles and toasted bread. Those two were probably my top two of the night.
Two pluses are the service and the ambiance... The service was quick, friendly and efficient. The ambiance was cozy (although, possibly too cozy for some people; aka- small), romantic and comfortable. I enjoyed it very much!
I will definitely, definitely be going back. :D
A friend of ours who lives in the E Village took us here last night. We had a reservation for 5 and were seated right away. We ordered several yummy appetizers: the goat cheese stuffed artichokes and the octopus were really good. However, the brie special with some vegetable wasn't so great. We also got the gnocco appetizer which is essentially indian fry bread with a side of ham. Since we don't eat the pig, we just had the indian fry bread stuff which was really good.
Wine: We ordered a bottle and the waiter seemed to think it smelled funny, tried it himself and then took the bottle away because it tasted bad. He came back with a better bottle without us having to say anything, which was fabulous.
Main courses: I got the gnocchi with lamb and beef ragu and it was really good but so dense (as gnocchi tends to be) that I couldn't finish it. My hubbie and others got the parmigiana pizza which was good but perhaps a bit dry. I think I liked it more than they did.
All in all a good experience and they let us sit at our table for as long as we wanted. According to the boys we were with, the bathroom was challenging to pee in because of a sloped ceiling. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Excellent Italian restaurant with really good pizza (thin as in the Italian Heaven) and great dishes (gazpacho, pasta...). Last time I went I was disappointed because we could not get a pizza (too long to wait), but it was still good.
Not expensive and patio is really nice!
Be careful, they accept only AMEX: bring some cash if you don't have it !
I wish I could give Gnocco a rave review because it has a lot of great things going for it. The ambiance is very nice; it's comfortable and inviting. The view of Tompkins Square Park is pretty. The service is excellent. (Every person working there greeted me on entrance and wished me farewell when I left.) The only thing that isn't great is the food, which is the most important part.
I had the Bufalina pizza. The crust was paper-thin. The ingredients of mozzarella, basil, and cherry tomatoes were fresh and tasty, but they were not distributed to the right proportions. There was too much cheese, which caused the natural juice of the tomatoes to be trapped in the center of the pizza, which in turn caused the center of the pizza to be soggy. I think the pizza probably would have been excellent if it had only half the cheese.
I will probably give Gnocco another chance and try a pasta dish or order the pizza with half the cheese.
After hearing my friends talk about the AMAZING pizza and everything else they serve here, I decided to give it a try on a Wednesday night. All I can say is what a disappointment! The pizza was cold (not to mention soggy-ish) and they only accept AMEX (boo). Also, they are completely and utter overpriced, especially for the neighborhood they are in!
My plate was actually really good (skewers of scallops and shrimp- can't remember the name of the dish)... but maybe it was just the hunger talking.
I also found the wines to be somewhat expensive and they were out of the two wines we wanted to try.
In conclusion: overpriced & poor quality for the most part (what a bad combo)
Contrary to all the mixed reviews--i have very little to complain about our experience at Gnocco tonight. Our waitress was extremely pleasant and sweet, and more than helpful reading and re-reading all of the specials they had that night. She was also more than accomodating--making sure my dad got an extra icey cold beer, and that my sister got some extra mozzerella on her gnocchi. Food was very tastey--they had several specials, each one sounded more delicious after the other. My Tartufata pizza was the hit of the night.
I will definitely be back.
Standing on 10th Street I watched the cool November wind swirl through the trees. Straining with bending limbs, the old trees that lined the park danced. The sound of the dry, but not ready to fall leaves, were all that was in my ears. Two girls on skates rolled up a few yards away. One began to dance as the other took pictures with an old film camera. I looked at them smiling, wondering. What would these pictures look like?
Ro and Theresa were late, but I didn't mind. 10th Street on Tompkins Square is one of my favorite in the City. Beyond the dancing skater I saw my friends appear. We entered Gnocco through a large glass and gun metal black steel door, walking past the pizza ovens and left into a bar area. To the front and back there are nice little tables with candles burning.
We sat at two of the tin topped tables that were pushed together. I felt slightly awkward and recommended we order a bottle of wine. I picked a Montepulciano D'Abruzzo. Ro and Theresa know each other very well. I've only met them on two occasions previously. After the first glass the awkwardness dispersed. The Montepulciano was smooth and dry, and we were ready to order.
To start we ordered Pizza Bufalina (fresh bufala mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and basil trickled with olive oil). It came out very quickly, but yet it was not hot enough. It was really an extraordinary pizza, barring its temperature. The crust was thin and baked to my liking. The Bufala was flavorful and it went down easy and quickly, followed by swallows of the Montepulciano.
For main we each ordered a pasta dish, though they have a full selection of meat dishes. Ro ordered the Campanella ai Fungi Porcini (porcini mushrooms with a touch of cream). Theresa got the Tagliatelle Con Prosciutto (braised prosciutto with green peas and light cream). I wanted to try their Gnocci, so for me it was the Gnocchetti (with beef and veal ragu).
When our order came we all push our plates toward the center and shared. Out of the three main dishes mine was agreed to be our least favorite. The Gnocci itself was perfect and soft, but the sauce lacked flavor and was on the sweet side. Theresa's Tagliatelle was the second favorite, though she complained that the prosciutto was a little too salty. I liked it and helped her along. Ro's Campanella was the stand out favorite. The fresh pasta was complimented by the mushrooms and cream.
We shared one dessert. Ro chose the Creme brulee. It was nothing really memorable, but it was perfectly satisfactory though lacking something I could not distinguish. We paid the bill and walked back out into the blustery night. Theresa got into a cab and disappeared up the 1st Avenue and I walked Ro home.
It was a good evening, though the food didn't meet our expectations. Gnocco is a good place, but there are other choices that I would select over it for better Italian cuisine. Being that it's only two blocks from my apartment I can see myself on a lazy night returning to try some other dishes.
This was a great place to go to on a rainy/snowy day with my boyfriend! I tend to stray away from restaurants east of 1st Ave since the transportation to this area can be quite out of the way. Where are you 2nd Ave train?
We were greeted quite nicely by the host who led us to the back area of the restaurant where we were comfortably seated at a table for 4 after we requested a table that was not in the middle of the room. We had a great view of the garden area (of course it was too cold to dine out there), but I wouldn't mind coming back when the weather warms up.
The bread came in a slotted metal basket and the balsamic used in their olive oil dip had a nice punch to its flavor. We ordered the
tavolozza di formaggi con pere e miele which included a selection of cheeses such as pecorino toscano, parmigiano reggiano,
gorgonzola lombardo, bitto della valtellina all served with a side of fresh pears and honey. I must say their produce here comes from a great purveyor since the pears were super-juicy and ripe, same goes for their tomatoes.
My boyfriend had their quattro formaggi, which had fresh mozzarella, gorgonzola, swiss and ricotta cheese. The crust could have been a bit crispier, but the ricotta was really fresh.
I had the fillet special since I needed my beef fix which had shavings of pecorino and black truffles with a side of mesuclin salad and french fries sprinkled with some coarse sea salt and fresh parsley.
Yum!!!
Needless to say, my fillet was scrumptious to the max! I then ended my meal with an espresso and their tangerine sorbetti, which was good, but they added a bit too much sugar.
I'll give Gnocco 4 stars overall. =)
So I saw Tom B.'s Review of the Day today (you go, Tom B!) and this little spark went off in my head. I'd been to this place, but I totally forgot about it!
And then it started coming back.
I remember I went here on a date, but I don't remember with whom.
I remember taking a cab because I was running late and getting out just as my date was walking to the door.
I remember amazing pizza. I remember a really hot waitress who smiled a lot.
I remember leaving stuffed and totally satisfied.
I also remember writing the name of this place down so I wouldn't forget, which is kind of embarassing.
If I remembered this place better, I'd probably have given it a full 5 stars. Admittedly, this is more my problem than the restaurant's, but I'm feeling stingy today because I haven't had my coffee yet.
OH! I totally just remembered the guy's name! He was Neil, and....yeah, that might not have been a date..... I don't really remember.
Gnocco makes amazing pizza!
I really have to say its my favorite pizza in New York, so far. I'm a big fan of the thin, cracker crust style pizza they make here. The arugula topped pizzas are always a great choice as well as the truly remarkable tartufata pizza... truffle oil, mushroom, ricotta.. rich and delicious.
Oh, and the Gnocco to start is a must.
I bring out of town guests as well as New Yorkers and it never fails to be delightful... eating there (great service-charming and helpful) or delivery. Highly recommended.
My T and Nameless person went here for dinner yesterday night!
Nameless said we should order their pizza for appetizer.
Since I love Bufala mozzarella - I decided we should order the Bufalina - fresh bufala mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and basil.
It was good but it was NOT better than Luzzo's and it was cold.
We shared the following:
Gnocchetti with beef and veal ragu.
Campanellea ai Fungi Porchini with cream.
*Yummy me loves mushrooms!!!!
Tagliatelle Con Procutto with peas and cream.
Everyone loved the Campanella the most, then Tagliata, and last the Gnocchi. I loved the Gnocchi at Eleven Madison but this one wasn't as great at theirs.
For Dessert-we had the Creme Brulee! It was good but I had better! I wanted to get the upside down pear cake only because it was topped with ice cream. But Creme Brulee is one of my favorite desserts!
We also had a bottle of wine - Montepulciano D'Abruzzo - really good wine. It was a really good pick from the Nameless person!
Overall good food, good wine, and good company!
CHEERS!
Yum! A friend and I met up for an early dinner and scored a lovely table in the covered back garden. Cocktails drinkers beware; only wine & beer are served here. Beer selection is not great (think Peroni and Heineken), but the wines are all solid and priced well.
Our very cute, very Italian waiter was friendly and accommodating, so after several minutes of menu perusal, we made our final choices and anticipated a meal to match the delightful weather.
I ordered the caprese di bufala campana appetizer. The mozz was phenomenal - if they don't make it in-house then they sure fake it well! Happily, this place takes their produce as seriously as their dairy. The tomatoes were ferrari-red and plump, with nary a grainy bite to be had. Topped with their basil infusion, I could have gone home satisfied right then.
My dinner-mate skipped the app in favor of fully indulging in her entree, gnocchi al pomodoro e mozzarella di bufala. The dish smelled divine, but I didn't get a taste since she wasn't offering samples. I probably wouldn't have, either. :-)
My entree: maccheroni al torchio integrali con prosciutto di parma e rucola. A lot of words for a lot of food. I have yet to perfect the art of creating al dente whole wheat pasta at home, so the kitchen gets two thumbs up for their success in that category. The entire plate was gleaming in a generous bath of olive oil. The flavor was slightly too subtle; it would have been perfect with just a pinch more salt.
My Italian dinners always end with tiramisu, and Gnocco's is close to perfect. Light yet sumptuous, sweet and simple. It's the perfect touch.
The evening sauntered along as we witnessed the tables around us become occupied with a variety of clientele. Old-school Italians chatting it up with the waitstaff; young couples grabbing a quick pizza; neighborhood folk sampling a new bottle of red. This is indeed the type of place where you can pull up a chair, pour a glass of wine and visit with your neighbors until closing time.
-frisee salad with balsamic vinegar and pancetta. It was good, although the balsamic had none of the qualities you'd expect from one advertized as "25 year-old," and the pancetta tasted like regular bacon from the supermarket (which is still pretty good).
-branzino cooked in en papillote (in foil, actually). It was a mixed bag. literally. It's a challenge to make a dish like this, because all the ingredients need to be timed just right to cook at the same time. The kitchen staff, sadly, did not pull it off tonight. The fish was wonderful, tender, subtle, perfectly cooked. The shrimp were a bit rubbery and overcooked. And the asparagus had every last bit of life cooked out of it.
-pork scalopini. Middling. Slightly bland, slightly dry, smothered in a red wine sauce that was also slightly bland.
-pear cake with vanilla ice cream. It would have been great with half the sugar. It was cloyingly sweet. The vanilla ice cream tasted fresh and flavorful, and would have been perfect except for a slight gumminess.
The service was friendly. We wished the waiter would have been more enthusiastic an articulate when answering questions about the menu and wine list.
I really enjoyed this place. A friends cousin was visiting us from Frankfurt, Germany and we were wondering around alphabet city and decided to check this place out. The ambiance was awesome ! dimly lit ....not too quiet or too loud... very "young and sharp yet comforting" environment. We had a few appetizers all were good but i cant remember any of the names I just remember it being good. For pizza I had the truffle with spec pizza which was amazing! every bite had truffle oil on it and just gave you that mmmmmm essence. My friend had the Capricossa and enjoyed it as well.
A good general experience; eclectic music, good ambiance; cozy, which also means you may have to move your table when someone with a stroller wants to enter or exit. First time we came there was a 30 min. wait for a table, so the next time we decided to go early, at 7pm, and found Gnocco delightfully uncrowded.
We had rigatoni with Italian sausage and broccoli rabe (apparently also spelled "broccoli rape") and maccheroni with Prosciutto, arugula, and cream. Both were a good choice, very flavorful. Maccheroni sort of had a slight mac&cheese feel to it, but in a good way.
Service was good, waiters provided ample information and answered questions; food came fast, although we did have to wait for water refills. Overall, a good place for casual dinner!
It's a cute venue, but it lacks feeling of authentic character perhaps because of the newness and material choice of the interior design.
It's definitely a good place to take a date-- it gets kinda loud depending on how many people are there because sound seems to travel easily in the space (which would make it hard for you to hear your date though)...
The food is decent. I've gone there several times... the pastas, risotto, and casserole-type of dishes were alright... it lacked a range of flavors so it all kindof falls flat in your mouth. Meaning- every bite inevitably has one taste/one tone and you get tired of it quickly.
The appetizers were alright though.
Fabulous Brunch now served…
Neighborhood: Park Slope
Lunch or Dinner & a movie $28
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Italian
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