NYC Restaurants

This place is fun for a party because of its central location in the heart of Williamsburg (Grand St. between Bedford and Driggs) and it has a nice candlelit outdoor terrace, but make sure to bring your bug spray!  The pizzas are pretty good, though a bit small for the $13 price tag, and the ‘Paste’ dishes, which run between $13-$16, aren’t a great value for your buck either.  The ‘Penne fior di latte’ was good, but similar to something I could have quickly whipped up in my own kitchen.

I had a bit of trouble pronouncing the names on the menu, which are all in Italian and I had to clarify several of them before making a decision.  However, wine connoisseurs will enjoy the extensive list of white and red wines, which are mostly Italian, but also include a few specialty world and American wines. 

Unfortunately, the service was not friendly.  The servers pretentiously took their time acknowledging us and bringing water.  We had to flag someone down several times throughout the evening just to get silverware for everyone at the table, and they ended up forgetting someone in our party’s meal!  Needless to say, we didn’t leave a generous tip.

This place has pretty good food, but be prepared to wait for service and study up on your Italian before you go.  It is helpful to know the difference between ‘Cestini,’ ‘Secondi,’ and ‘Contorini.’