Gente

Disappointed. For 4 years I have walked past this restaurant every single day. My office is right around the corner so when a vendor called and asked me to lunch, I totally accepted and was excited to try the food.

We had a reservation and were seated immediately and greeted in a warm and friendly manner.

Nothing about the decor stood out to me. It was just there. I ordered the Kobe meatballs and spaghetti. I personally can cook a killer meatball but there are some restaurants who's meatballs I crave. Sadly, my meatballs were really small and dry dry dry. The spaghetti was a little too "al dente" for my liking.

My vendor had the chicken piccata and said it was delicious so maybe I picked the wrong thing.

After I returned to my office I mentioned to a friend that I went there and she told me that earlier this year they failed their health inspection. Right now they have an "A" department of health rating but I don't see myself going back ever again. I read the bad rating report and probably won't be able to sleep tonight.

They had great food but they're closed since 2018 some time . Sad to see this place is gone and done , CLOSED *******

This place was pretty good for midtown manhattan. Being close to GCT for metro north is a plus as well.

Came for a semi-late lunch based on a yelp review. Rating was 3 1/2 stars but wanted to try none the less.

AMBIANCE - the place was cute but small maybe 20 tables and a small bar area. Nice wooden tables with a practical but not elegant setup. There were clips holding paper in lieu of table cloths. I'm indifferent but can see that paper lowers the initial impression

MENU - not particularly large but enough choices to satisfy everyone. Surprisingly there were no lunch specials but not a show stopper.

SERVICE - a solid 4-5 star rating here albeit we came at the end of the lunch hour rush.

FOOD - a high spot here for what we ordered. Appetizers worth trying. "Kobe meatballs" and the "carpaccio arugula salad". Both were very good. Entrees were also very good. The risotto with a substitution of asparagus was perfectly prepared and flavorful with the chicken. The Osso bucco was ok but instead of a traditional sauce what was prepared was more like a Marsala sauce which if you wanted you could order veal Marsala instead. Still the veal shank was tender and the pasta side was a nice al dente.

DESSERTS - have to try the lemon cello flute. Really good. Also the the Bella something lemon cake. That was really good

OWNER - met the owner who was a pleasant and congenial individual who had some great stories to share. He worked the room and made you feel at home. Super engagement.

PRICE - definitely not $$ more like $$$ to $$$$. For 2 people. With a nice tip, tax and a few drinks bill was $225

This is a great little restaurant right off of Lexington Ave...good menu selections, wine list, staff very friendly and will help recommend some good ditties!!!

Started with the salami tray...great selection mixed meats and cheese. The waiter then suggested a seafood pasta dish...although I WAS NOT a lover before, this might have converted me. Lol. Large pieces of salmon, shrimp, and oysters, with a red sauce over thicker than usual spaghetti noodles!!! YUM:)

The meal was capped with a light-lemon/almond dish. So good!!!!!

I'm not sure if this place gets busy or not, as it wasn't really crowded at prime dinner time, but it is worth a stop---very reasonably priced and great food!

This was such a great find! When I walked in and saw how bright the place was and the dated decor, I was skeptical. However, the food was surprisingly yummy! From the crusty Italian bread to the reasonably priced wine list, we totally enjoyed dinner. The carpaccio was probably one of the best we've had. Service was attentive and not rushed at all. I would have given it five stars but the bright lights and uninspiring bindi desserts made me subtract a star. Since the place is dated with worn tables and chairs, keeping the lights down would not only create better ambiance, it would also hide some of these "imperfections." Still, I would definitely come back!

The closest we have had to lunch in Palau, IT sense we left our dream life behind 18 yr ago.

They served the bread with olive oil AND balsamic just like 'home' and both the oil and balsamic were of good quality. The bread was exactly what was needed; crusty outside and chewy warm inside.

The caprese, minestrone, and penne alla vodka were all on point.

Great place for a quick lunch at least, food and service wise. Would definitely eat here again and highly recommend.

HORRIBLE place!!!!!! They try to market their house red wine as a 'nice' Cabernet charging $12-13 a glass and this is what you get. Liberty Creek Cabernet. Headache central.

As soon as I saw the label when they poured from the bar area I knew it was a $5 bottle from Walmart. I sent it right back. YUCK!!!!!

For an Italian restaurant, their wine selection is awful; the food horrible; and service lousy.

Do NOT waste your time or money here!!!! The Caesar Salad you can make out of a bag (no fresh Parmesan or anything other than ground pepper); the margherita pizza a native Italian termed as 'cardboard'.

You can have a better meal down the street at Wendy's or Chipotle. This place is AWFUL; it's a wonder it even stays in business in NYC.

Perhaps we should have taken a clue when there was only ONE other table occupied in the entire restaurant at 7:15pm on a SATURDAY night.

The caprese salad, sea bass, and tirisamu were all very tasty. The cheesecake with raspberry topping is also delicious with a cappuccino. The atmosphere is intimate.

Great fresh ingredients! I will say I was hoping for a NY style pizza, so I was a little leery when I saw their offerings! Pizza con Verdure and Pizza Margherita were well worth the visit! Yummy for my tummy!

Chicken parm was great! Tasty and rich tomato sauce. They now serve a huge raviolo which was plentiful on ricotta and fresh italian parsley. We got it with the vodka sauce which was really tasty.