Babbo

I found this restaurant disagreeable. The food is mediocre at best, the only really good dish of five (for two people) being the gelato. The service is precious and pretentious to the point of being obnoxious. Please note that the noise level is lower upstairs if you insist on trying this place.

Dropped in with my sister on an early week day evening. Service was attentive and helpful. We both ordered the same entre - scallop risotto - and it was absolutely delicious. Yes, it may be a bit on the pricey side but we thought it was well worth it. I can't understand the negative reviews.

If you're going to make people jump through hoops for a reservation, you better damn well make sure its worth it. Well in this case, it was not. Making a reservation a month in advance for what is basically a fancy pizzeria is just lame. I understand that this place is owned by a celebrity chef, blah, blah, blah, but at the end of the day, it just isn't worth it. Save it for the tourists.

Yes it is expensive but I have dined at over priced places around the world and still walked out satisfied. One of the other reviews said they felt like a commodity and that is the best term I could use. The place wasn’t busy the night we were there but the service was consumed only with pushing the bill up. The food was cool and average when delivered and the service was cold and below average. Started to say they have to fix that rude front entry welcome but with television I guess they don’t. The only positive was the excellent Italian wine list and the sommelier who was the only pleasant experience that night.

Went w/a friend and ordered the $80 Pasta Tasting Menu---the waiter kept pushed adding truffle shavings to one of the pasta dishes. When asked how much that would be, he said $120, so my friend ordered it. All the pasta were cooked perfectly, al dente. The problem was, way too much salt. In exception to the 1st past dish (Black Tagliatelle with Parsnips and Pancetta), which was excellent, none of the following dishes were very memorable. Someone was dumping salt into the water back there, and it all came out tasting way too salty. I did not finish 5 of the 7 dishes served. When the bill came, to our surprise, the miniscule tasteless truffle shavings came to an additional $120 on top of the $90 pasta tasting. This was not explained correctly as both of us understood the tasting menu to be $120. In any case, if the meal or that dish was exceptional, it would have been forgivable. It wasn't. The truffles were not very flavorful and did not add anything to the salty dish. I've had white truffles many times, including Providence LA, which was worth every penny. I think the fake truffle oil tasted better then these 6 tiny flakes. When the dessert came, I was looking forward to something sweet. Even the Gelato had salt pieces in it. Really?! The cake was way too dry. Again, the 2 dishes were left unconsumed. Very unmemorable, unsatisfied $400 spent. I will think twice before going to a Batali restaurant in the future. Go to Lincoln, much, much better experience!

TV can make people think anything is great. Mario may be talented, but his staff is not. Especially the Host. The austre and tired looking "Wizard of OZ " at the magic podium, is so pompous, someone needs to remind him the 90's are over. The wait staff was ok, but it is obvious that the place suffers from its own success. The truly great restaurants keep trying to impress with manners, care, great service and excellent food. While my food was very nice.. ( black spaghetti with crab and chiles) followed by a very nicely prepared ribeye for two.. I feel the other aspect of the evening lacked . Just mediocre service. I think Mario should pay less attention to becoming a celebrity, and more attention to his reception team, and wiat staff. After all.. If you are going to surrender big bucks for dinner... at the very least, at least "fake it" that yu like your job. After 30 years of living and dining in NYC.. it amazes me that sheep will go to slaughter to plaes like this... "because its famous" There are probably 20 other restaurants in the area that you can spend your cash and feel it is justified. Not this place. Be careful

Second time we had lunch. It's quiet, and charming. Not very exciting food and not inexpensive. Good place for a Mario sighting-he seems to hang out here at lunch. Maybe he can zip up the menu a bit. Beef cheek ravioli could have been filled with anything. We would not go back again.