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I planned a 40th birthday party at Barbuto and they did not disappoint. The food was plentiful and amazing, and my crowd of 10 came with a hearty appetite. We had two vegetarians in the group and they made accomodations for them. The bruschetta with chicken liver, port and raisins was amazing. as was the salad with fresh greens, endive, wax beans and tuna. I am generally not a fan of gnocchi but the gnocchi here was an experience I will never forget and one I hope to have again very soon. They were delicate pillows of goodness, soft and buttery and sauced to perfection. We also had the special that night, a braised pork rib dish in tomato sauce that was divine. I also have to rave about Mr. Waxman's roast chicken. After watching him on Top Chef Masters I wondered, how can roast chicken be that good......I don't know his secret but I can't eat roast chicken anywhere else. It was moist, tender and crispy with the right amount of seasoning. I thought the service was a little slow at first but Mr. Wazman came and chatted with our table and summoned his chefs to get the appetizers out pronto. He moved the line and expedited our meal. We felt honored to be in his kitchen. It was a memorable night for all.

We wanted to like Barbuto but unfortunately didn't. Almost all the dishes -- JW Chicken, Brussels, Potatoes-- were overly salted (and we love heavy seasoning). We don't doubt that JW roasts a wonderful chicken, but his staff didn't execute his vision. The gnocchi was too soft. Our server was a nonentity. So we carry on.

Went with a date as opposed to a friend this time around, and the service was a million times better. ANYHOW... what to order... bruschetta, insalata tonno, salciccia, and the agnello ai ferri. The skirt steak and pork is subpar, and the cheeses are fabulous.

I've dined here twice. Was the first experience a fluke? No way! A great restaurant. The roast chicken, gnocchi, hanger steak were all exceptional. I don't get some of the mediocre reviews. It's great! Get the Chefs table if you can.

Food was just OK, but nothing special. Famous JW chicken had over salted crust. Place is too noisy.

My husband and I were pretty impressed with our dinner last night. We had a late table, so we were not rushed at all, and we liked the laid back but attentive waitstaff as well as the semi-al fresco space. We shared the rigatoni to start - delicious, though it could have used some black pepper, and none was offered. Then we shared the roast chicken plus a side of potatoes and greens. The chicken is a lot of food - definitely enough to share with a side. My husband is pretty picky, and he was impressed with everything - the chicken was roasted perfectly and the "salsa verde" (more of a chimichurri) was tasty and made for an interesting accompaniment. The potatoes are simple but really good. We would definitely go back.

I would say that, overall, Barbuto was good but not great. Went there with my family on a Sunday night, so the restaurant was fairly quiet. The food was good but nothing wowed us. I would say that the gnocchi was delicious, the spelt side dish was great, the chicken was really good for a chicken, and everything else was pretty good. Besides the chicken, the portions were pretty small. It wasn't overly, expensive though so I can't complain too much. So, if you are in the area and want to give Barbuto a try, it's good and you'll probably like it. But I don't think it's worth travelling far for and there are restaurants that are just as good around NYC.