MenuPages

As soon as you step into Allegretti, you are struck by the understated elegance of the decor. The small attractive bar leads to a cozy room with unusually generously spaced tables. No shouting necessary here. The Provencale-inspired menu is flavor-intense. The service is admirably attentive too. And their $39 summer prix-fixe dinner is a great bargain. Try it, you'll like it!

I love this restaurant. It offers beautiful French food, but not heavily sauced, or overloaded with butter. The pastas are light and creative. The fish, delicious. The service is attentive. It's an adult experience and I've been back many times. It definitely worth the visit whether you're with friends or on a date.

Four of us needed a break from the stress of a NYC working week and chose Allegretti. I have never been here before, but my usual investigation led me to believe that we would have a great night of food and service. I was wrong. The place is just above average in terms of the food, with very small portions and prices that were not merited. The bill, with tip, was over $500 ($200 on wine). The service was the best part of the experience - truly attentive and well done. The tables are much too close together and should be reduced by 20%. The noise level was embarracingly loud - you could hardly hear the conversation at your own table. The food was the most dissapointing. The fish soup lacked flavor - truly unacceptable at a place where the chef owner, from the south of France, should know better. The pasta dishes were miniscule, and again, lacked flavor. Salads were mediocre. Main dishes were properly portioned and, again, acceptable, but nothing to write home about. Sorbet was not as good as prepackaged from the deli. All and all, trendy, noisy and fair - a poor trilogy. Amities Gourmandes,ally's dad

I think anyone who raves about this restaurant simply hasn't tried so many other much better restaurants in this city. The food was ok, but not stellar. Certainly for the same money there are many better options. The service was extremely poor. Our waiter took our drinks order and disappeared. Then about 10 minutes later the hostess came over and said "What drink did you say you wanted? The waiter didn't quite understand." Some time later we finally got the drinks, menus, ordered our food and finally got our appetizers. When he hostess came over to inquire how everything is, i mentioned to her that we never got our bread. "Oh really? I'm very surprised" she said and proceeded to give me some totally lame explanation of how the waiter is not familiar with their bread-serving routine. How about you bring it to the table just like all the other restarants do?

I don't know know how can somebody be disappointed in this restaurant. I'm from Marseille (south east of France) and this restaurant has exactly the right southern-eastern french cuisine that I haven't had here yet (and I'm not talking about the "Marseille" restaurant joke). On the top of the food beeing extremely well-made (small portions but full at the end of the meal), the service had a zero mistake when I went there with my wife: not pushy at all, always here when needed and completely absent when not needed (I hate my waiter checking how is my table every 2 minutes, I feel watched). WE LOVED THE BUTTER, it's definitely homemade (and you can get extra if you need more). The bread is also good. It is not everywhere that you'll find Rouget (tiny Mediterranean red fish) and guess what, they have it and it's damn good. I'm still waiting for them to put Wild Boar Daube (stew) on the special to jump back in the restaurant. So if you want a good upscale (southern-eastern) french with a great service, but can't afford Daniel, don't go to Josephine, go there instead. :)

Allegretti, which has been open for only a short while, has received some negative reviews, among them Adam Platt of NY Magazine and DoctorTed (see below). I am astounded. My dinner there last night was, simply put, everything a meal at a fine restaurant should be. First, the place is delightfully bereft of the noise that plagues so many NYC eating establishments. While the small room was crowded, I had no problem conversing with my dinner companion without either of us raising our voices. Second, the service is lovely: the hostess, when I arrived 15 minutes early, offered me a seat on the comfortable sofa near her desk, instead of forcing me to the bar (as is the case with so many restaurants these days). Our waiter, who maintained a friendly smile throughout dinner, was clearly a real professional, and offered good suggestions regarding the menu. Third, the room with its soft lights, large mirrors, and semi-formal atmosphere was welcoming and comfortable. And finally, the menu. The offerings are creative, and each of our dishes was fantastic, particularly my farro with beef cheeks. Yes, the portions are small, but this is not at all a problem, given the richness of the food (much as is the case for Dovetail on the UWS). This is a restaurant who sum is greater than its parts altogether a wonderful experience.

Boring food, served in a boring room by a boorish staff. Menu is very limited. Chef recently was whining he got only one star does not deserve more. Wins award for tiniest rolls in NYC with thinnest slice of butter. Toughest duck I ever ate. Desserts are microscopic, and I like small portions. Ordinary food, nothing special at inflated prices. Do yourself a favor and go to the Olive Garden around the corner.