Weblog
Where I ate in NYC
Nino’s Tuscany Ristorante Italiano
My rating: 4 out of 4 stars
Why: Food, service, ambience were all stellar. I’ve never had a pasta dish as good as the handmade spinach papardelle with truffles and truffle oil with steamed asparagus. All four courses were consistently excellent, and the service was clearly a cut above anything I experienced while in New York.
My rating: 2.5 out of 4 stars
Why: There was a lot of food and the price was low, but the fdishes weren’t beautifully presented nor were they particularly tasty. The service was solicitous and the restaurant was lovely, however.
My rating: 3 out of 4 stars
Why: Very trendy, hip place. Too much so for my comfort, actually. Food was beautifully presented and delicious, too. Prices weren’t bad considering the rent they must pay. Service was quite good given the high traffic.
My rating: 3 out of 4 stars
Why: This restaurant gets the benefit of the doubt for sheer history and ambience and for the European-quality service. They do not, however, get any extra credit for high-quality food, because that was notably absent. I didn’t see anything on the table that I couldn’t get at any fine Italian dining establishment. You go for the cariactures and potential celeb sightings, not extraordinary food.
My rating: 2.5 out of 4 stars
Why: Reasonable prices, good food, solid service, but nothing worthy of real note here. I rather liked the hazelnut gelato offered for dessert, though.
My rating: 3 out of 4 stars
Why: The desserts really are good, but the best in the world? Nah. Not really. The counter girls are appropriately surly, and they don’t accept credit cards. Take your cash with you.
My rating: 3 out of 4 stars
Why: The buttercreme frosting is quite yummy yes, but are those cupcakes worth $2 a pop? I don’t think so. The cakes themselves are unremarkable.
My rating: 2 out of 4 stars
Why: You guys just aren’t that busy. Wipe the tables down! The bagel with cream cheese and lox was pretty tasty, though.
My rating: 1.5 out of 4 stars
Why: I can’t remember anything about this meal (what I ate, what it tasted, looked, or smelled like) except the service. They took too long to take our order, but once they did, they were extremely attentive. The theme of my trip to New York was high quality food servers, and this place was no exception. Since I can’t remember the food, I’m going to assume that it was forgettable and rank my meal accordingly, however.
