Dell'Anima

The chefs in this open kitchen restaurant certainly aren’t hindered by intense New York humidity. Despite extreme heat in the kitchen, everything from soup to nuts (or in this case bruscetta to sorbet) was a delight. The hostesses were welcoming and the bartender perfectly attentive. Our outside table topped a stellar night of dining. You cannot chose a bad meal here.

We're native NYers always seeking good italian food. we found it here. The octopus and quail were delicious starters. And our pastas were incredible. The wines are a bit over priced, but the rest was reasonable. we sat near the chef bar, which is typically annoying and hot in other places, but this was uniquely authentic and refreshing. If you have to wait for a table, the bar across the street is a good time. Just don't eat anything there because you'll want to save whatever room you have for the delicious food here. highly recommended. we couldn't stop talking about our meal.

Stumbled onto this restaurant while walking around the Village, and remembering that a friend recently told me about it, we inquired about how long the wait would be. We were told the wait would be fairly long, but that we could eat at the bar if we liked (which we did :-) . Both food and drink were tantamount to perfection. We had their bruschettas, the quail and octopus apps, and two of their pastas. Just amazing how complex the tastes were from such simplistic descriptions on the menu. Will definitely return and recommend.

I made reservations two weeks in advance for a Sunday evening anniversary dinner, and asked that they hold their best table for two for the occasion. We arrived right on time and were seated at the worst table in the house--it was small and right smack in the middle of the cramped and narrow restaurant. Behind my chair was the bar just about 24" away, and this was the only space where the wait staff and customers could pass through on their way to the kitchen and restroom, so I was being knocked into every few minutes. I've lived in New York City for over 10 years and I understand the space problem but this table simply should not have been there. The visual atmosphere is nice enough, however it was very noisy with fast, trendy music piped in and bad acoustics all around. The food was very good but the portions are quite small and the entree prices (around $18-$20 for a simple pasta dish, and about $25-$30 for a meat entree) are too high considering the quality of the food, space, and atmosphere. I've had much better Italian food for much less in a much better environment. The waitress was very cordial and helpful and knew the menu well. At the end of the dinner while my date was in the restroom I told our waitress how disappointed I was with the table considering I'd made a reservation 2 weeks in advance. She seemed empathetic and must have mentioned it to the manager (?) because as I waited for my coat to be brought over to me, he told me he'd heard I was not satisfied with the table. And how did he resolve this and demonstrate that he valued me as a first-time customer? Did he offer us a complimentary drink or take even one small item off of our bill, like the $5 bruschette or the latte? No, he simply said that when I make reservations again, be sure to specify that I don't want "table 16" (or whichever one it was). That was it. No joke. That was his idea of good customer service. I won't ever be going back to Dell'Anima again.

Great date place - if you can get a table in the middle of the very small room. Delicious pastas - although for over $17 each ... the servings are a little small - especially the stuffed pasta dishes (which are more expensive but only have 5-6 small pieces on the plate). The crostini with a glass (or three) of wine are great and sharing a few of the pasta dishes is the way to go. Trendy, crowded (but the house knows how to manage the crowd) - the service was great -- wine list could be a little less expensive - it's a massive list with only 2 or 3 bottles in the $40 dollar range -- the rest are $50 and up to even $500! Lower the prices on the wine or add some less expensive bottles.

First let me say that I'm not a) a cheap-o when it comes to eating and b) I am not one of those people that needs 6 pounds of food on my plate in order to feel like it was a good portion. The food was okay. My Endive salad was fantastic. And I was REALLY excited for the Agnolotti. It arrived at the table and as soon as the waiter left, my friend and I both said out loud "that's it?!" For $17 dollars I expected a bit more on the plate. I think there were about 10 on my plate (and if you know agnolotti, that is not a lot). It was very good, the sauce was delicious and the pasta delicate. But if you're looking to spend your money wisely in this economy climate...I'd say go somewhere else.

Yes, it's small but the crowd is attactive, the service friendly and the food superior. A standout on our visit was cod over bean cake and fennel, topped with grapefruit sections outstanding. This is a quintessential West Village place: cozy, hip, pricey, but in our opion worth it. We'll be back.