This felt like the kind of Italian place I should love: homey, friendly and comfortable. That matters. But eventually an Italian restaurant has to win on the plate.
The ambiance worked. The people worked. The restaurant felt authentic enough to make me want the meal to succeed.
The lobster was chewy and flavorless. The Caesar felt generic — I doubt a sardine was within a hundred miles of it. And the espresso? I’m a fanatic about crema. If you’re serving Italian coffee, then for fuck’s sake, serve it hot and get the crema right.
Not on that visit. The experience around the food was better than the food itself.
Yes. About eighty percent of the time I’ll give a place a second chance, and I would here.
Someone who values a warm neighborhood Italian feel and can go in without expecting Milan for dinner.
Make an earlier reservation, keep expectations modest, and I’d try the Caesar again — with anchovies. I would not order the lobster again.
THE LAST WORDGO — WITH MODEST EXPECTATIONS.