Too much Italian too little time (NO)
Three NYC Italian Dining Experiences in 24 hours? How do they compare?
There is no scarcity of Italian cuisine in New York City. From the high end restaurants, to the endless choices in the various Little Italys, to the New York slice, New Yorkers love something starchy drowned in sauce and cheese. This weekend, however, I experienced a true tour-de-force in dining experiences. For the first time in my life, having always lived in New York, I got to experience both Harry Cipriani and Carbone, two staples of high society dining in Manhattan. Previously, my experience with these restaurants included being turned away from Cipriani, having shamefully walked in wearing ripped jeans, and admiring Carbone’s famous neon sign while walking to the six train from my inconveniently located dentist’s office. Now, however, I dressed accordingly and reserved in advance. So let’s dive into my reviews. (I will also be having a meal reminiscent of high school, at Serafina on East 79th, so I can see if the former two establishments really deserve the reputation they have accrued.)
8:00pm, Friday, February 17th: Harry Cipriani
If you want that “ritzy” feel, as Google Maps describes it, this is the place to go. Harry Cipriani had the ambiance of old money in 1920s New York. The place is designed to look like a ship and the staff wear white uniforms, all culminating in quite the dining experience. However, I want to get to the food. The carpaccio was great, and the other appetizers looked good as well. There was a simple elegance to all the dishes, in line with the simple elegance of the entire restaurant. The fish––branzino and sea bass––were good, but there are definitely better. And finally, the pasta. Frankly, underwhelming. Nothing against the taste itself, it was a great dish, but with the extent of high-class Italian in New York, there’s definitely a place with a better dish that’s not almost $40.00. We finished the meal with three of their excellent desserts: the vanilla meringue cake, chocolate layer cake, and hand whipped vanilla ice cream. All of these were outstanding and it is definitely the move to share a few with the table. They give you free shortbread cookies which were wonderful with the ice cream or just on their own. Overall, definitely not a bad experience, but I won’t be fighting to get a reservation again.
11:30am, Saturday, February 18th: Carbone
While Carbone may seem like a dinner spot, this lunch was probably one of my favorite meals in New York. Not only was the food delicious, the atmosphere and the service truly made this place what it was. Even if we didn’t love the famous Caesar salad and spicy rigatoni alla vodka—which we did—we would come back just for our waiter Daniel. Right when we sat down, we were served perfectly crispy garlic bread with a florally arranged plate of salami and fresh cut mozzarella in olive oil. The Caesar salad was not only prepared tableside, but it was a perfectly delicate start to the meal. We had various pastas and meatballs, which, as Daniel made sure to mention, are perfect for sharing. To bring it all together, the music perfectly matched the ambiance with old jazz and songs such as The Way You Look Tonight filling the room. At the end of the meal, we were too stuffed to have any of the desserts, but they all sounded terrific. And either way, they gave us each a free rainbow almond cookie before we paid. Definitely worth the hype, and compared to Cipriani, not bad on the wallet at all.
6:00pm, Saturday, February 18th: Serafina 61st Street
Now, for the final meal. I’ve been going to Serafina since high school and it still remains one of my go-to spots for quick Italian. The bruschetta and prosciutto are great appetizers, but I don’t know if I would recommend the calamari (it can be a bit too chewy for my taste). The ambiance is great for anything from lunch with friends to a romantic dinner. Their pastas may be good, but their pizza is definitely the star of the show. I highly recommend starting off with a white pizza or margarita for the table and then diving into their pastas or salads for the main course, depending how many carbs you’re in the mood for. Then, make sure to end your meal with tiramisu or chocolate cake, because they are worth the calories. While this may not be the pinnacle of high class dining, it’s a bit closer to most people’s price range and definitely worth keeping in the back of your mind.
Marjorie
