Cucina Di Pesce

I'm not sure why this place is receiving bad reviews. A girlfriend from Chicago and I tried this place and we were very happy when we left. We had the special salad, fresh and big enough to split. The pasta bolognese (also the special for the night) had freshly-made-that-morning penne and it was delicious. My friend got the linguine and clams and I tasted and loved it. Then shared a fruit tart dessert and had 2 decaf coffees put us at $51 before tip. I do have to say that I'm glad I went with the waiter's recommendations on the menu. The rest of the waitstaff was attentive, but not overbearing. Just how a NYC restaurant should be! PERFECT.

Before I begin I just want to say I hope people do not think I am exaggerating. This place is an epic disaster. Techincally - The pasta was badly overcooked on both mine and my companion's plates. The pasta sauces were greasy and watery without any sort of flavor. That is an impressive combination. When did it become acceptable to mix canola oil and day old vegetables and call it pasta? I only say day old because the vegetables were charred and sour in a dish which doesn't have grilled vegetables and is meant to be fresh. Its either old produce, or the worst usage of fresh produce imaginable. A salt shaker delivers more flavor than the food. I honestly can't think of a more disappointing bowl of pasta i have had in my life. Its hard to make pasta this bad. In New York City, no one should have to eat such poor pasta. an absolute shame. And why is it that some guy comes around with a big bucket of pre-grated worthless parmesan and pours it by the heaping spoonful on your plate? Is this supposed to be a classy touch?

this place has gone down, down, down and then down some more. NOTHING here is worth two cents in my opinion. Especially do not order the Cicilian lasagne unless you like yours swimming in grease. Really sad that here in NYC you can NOT find a decent Italian restaurant.

The first time I went to this restaurant was for a friend's birthday. We had 16 people with us and they were pretty good about accommodating us (we had reservations). The food was really good--I had the baked clams for an appetizer and the sicilian lasagne as an entree. It was delicious! The second time around was not so hot. My friend is half Italian so she is pretty hard to impress but I was sure this place would do it. The baked clams were undercooked and her linguine with olive and garlic was super bland. Needless to say, not a terribly pleasant experience and we ended up getting pizza around the block.

I've been coming to this former gem in the East Village for over 20 yrs but both chef and ownership have changed. Not only was the food terrible (fish wastoo salty, full of bones and watery, pasta was undercooked and cold, could not get extra grated cheese) but prices had gone up considerably. When I asked to substitute pasta for a vegetable the waiter refused. I remember when they used to give all these little extras like complimentary salad - under new mgt all gone! Will not be coming back.

I've been here a number of times because I've been in the neighborhood and now I'm inspired to write a review after sampling numerous items and being disappointed time and time again. The cold seafood antipasto and grilled calamari were both lacking flavor and desperately needed something else in order to taste good, same goes for their salads. The seafood skewers were alright, but the pasta that comes with certain dishes is just plain and not very tasty. I also don't like how they only take cash or American Express, yet when my friend tried to pay with her AmEx card the waiter said we had not ordered enough and still had to pay cash.

The price maybe right,but remember the old saying"you get what you pay for".All in all this is really not a bad deal.That is if the price is all that matters.The bread is a bit soggy,the free wine is barely 1/3 or less of a small cup.The food is definitely edible but nothing to rave about.Service is unpolished but not inattentive or rude.The price makes eating here worthwhile once in a while.