Emporio

I had the greatest steak of my life here (porterhouse for 2)!!! And the nutella calzone (filled with the perfect amount of ricotta cheese and walnuts) totally awesome!!! ;o)

Emporio is the latest in the kitchey faux-Italian dining scene. I've tried a good deal of the food there and have been fairly unimpressed. Although the ingredients seem to be more or less good, bland, oily, and a little overpriced pretty much sums up the majority of the dishes. The squash blossoms are probably the only redeeming item on the menu, although some of the other appetizers aren't too bad. There are far better options for Italian food in the Lower East Side, keep your eyes out - my guess is Emporio won't be around for too long after the novelty wears thin.

Literally stumbled across this place last night and want to give them high praise - an ambitious menu chock full of fresh ingredients (with a clear emphasis on the quality and sourcing of said ingredients). The fried artichokes and the eggplant antipasta are must trys - the pizza in the wood burning oven was fantastic, and the pastas were tasty and well though out, particularly the canneloni. I will be going back, hopefully while it is still BYOB (they don't have a liquor license yet).

While the waitstaff is still working out some service kinks, this is a fantastic edition to the LES Italian scene. Food came out fast even as the restaurant filled up, and everything from salad to pastas to dessert was delicious. BYOB until they get their liquor license, but this place is a terrific find for groups, dates, and everything in between!