Puttanesca (CLOSED)

A friend of mine had walked by this place for sometime, and never thought to order until recently when we were in the mood for Italian. I have to tell you it was probably the best take out Italian I've ordered since living in NYC. Everything was so delicious including the calamari, which I was concerned about because I've had other restaurants deliver it either soggy or burnt. Puttanesca's calamari was warm and crispy as though it just came out of the oven, and it tasted amazing! I am not sure if they sent us cookies because it was our first time ordering from them, but nonetheless, they were so good. Had we known, we wouldn't have ordered dessert, which also was amazing. Everything we ordered was divine, and the lady who took our order over the phone was so friendly. We definitely will order from here again, and I encourage anyone else who may be craving some really good Italian food, to do the same!

This is a very reasonably priced restaurant that happened to be the only one I could find that would take a reservation on Christmas day for lunch for eleven people. Although these menupages reviews were somewhat mixed, it was close by our hotel (57th and Sixth) and we were pleasantly surprised. Between us we had almost every entrée and they were all good. I had lugged Christmas crackers on the plane and produced them at lunch while we were waiting for our food, and we had a great time at one long table popping them open, reading aloud the jokes and mottoes, and comparing the trinkets. (At one table a couple seemed wary of our enthusiasm, but by the end of our meal they were joining our conversation. ) We had cosmopolitans and margaritas, which were very generous and cold. We had pinot grigio and a cabernet with our lunch, which took a little longer than 2 hours. Most entrees were between $16 and $20. We ordered six desserts and shared them and the young children had chocolate gelato. Of the flourless chocolate cake, profiteroles, apple pie, cheese cake, pana cotta, and saffron creme brulee, I was least impressed with the pie, but the rest were very good. The coffee was excellent. They were happy to split the bill in half and were gracious in every respect----some reviews notwithstanding. The restaurant ambience was warm and bright, the service was attentive, and it was excellent value. A few requests to prepare entrees a bit differently for the children present were accepted without a fuss. All in all this was a very good choice for us and we would definitely go back---both as a group and individually---the next time we are in Manhattan.

I should have known that there was going to be a problem when, as I was being seated, there was a dirty knife in plain sight on the floor by my chair. I'm usually out of there by that time with other restaurants, but I remembered that at one time we actually liked this restaurant. So, not haven eaten all day, I stayed. To start, the brushetta, with what I think was capponota on top, was stale and so crunchy I thought I would lose a tooth. The "dry" martini was not mixed right or even with the vodka I had asked for and was brought in a short glass in which they charged us more than their full size menu price. The calamari appetizer was greasy and bland with salty zucchini chips. Do chips go with calamari? The salad was limp and no where near fresh. And to top it off, I ordered salmon and they brought over snapper. I told them I didn't order it and they said, "Oh I thought you pointed to this and could you try it anyway?" I was still very hungry and didn't want any retaliation in my new dish, so I said, "Ok, don't take it back". The fish was dry and the "so called" roasted potatoes were just boiled and cold. When the waitress finally came over, I told her about the cold potatoes and the dry fish and she said the cook makes it that way. No apology or concern for my satisfaction. From the young hostesses at the front door more concerned with stroking their hair, chatting with one another and waiting for the cook to pack up their dinner, to the guy that brought out the large olive oil and balsamic vinegar bottles and was refilling them right at each table in the middle of the restaurant instead of doing that inside the kitchen and bringing them out already refilled, (Shouldn't that be standard practice?) to the cavalier waitress and wait staff, I felt the entire experience quite forgetable. I was in the mood for a good restaurant and was sadly disappointed. I remember when Francis Ford Coppola,one of our countries great directors, owned this restaurant, it was busy and lively with an infectious party-like atmosphere, the service was excellent and even a basic dish of spaghetti and meatballs was absolutely fabulous. But not anymore. Unless, Mr. Coppola decides to buy it back and return it to its original excellence.

I wandered in with two friends for dinner last night. It was a pretty restaurant, but the hostess had an attitude and while the waitress was nice, she was really hard to flag down. We waited over 45 minutes from when the busboy brought us our leftovers to when she brought us the check -- and then had to wait for her to come get it, and then bring us change.... Aside from the service, however, the food was really good. The appetizers, pasta, and creme brulee were great although the tomato sauce on the gnocchi tasted like it was from a jar. We thought it was a good value for the price, but if service is important to you, this isnt your place.

tried it sunday and got there early for our reservation and were seated immediatly. ggod thing because within 45 min the place was full....food was great and i was so surprised..even asked for something replaced on the salad with something else and it was done with a "no problem" from the waiter. portion size for the prices was great. nd slavors were also great. the tomato sauce was a little sweet for my liking but ok anyway. the green and white pasta with mushrooms..was excellent...loads of flavor and mushrooms...the dessert tiramisu was delicious and we don't usually have desert..homemade and great..will go back when in the area again.

I was really impressed with this restaurant. I am originally from southern italy and I usually never order pasta out because i am usually dissapointed but after trying the goat cheese stuffed ravioli all I can say was delicious. The prices were terrific. Also had the Fish (branzino) which was terrific. I was content so decided to just have espresso (pretty good) and skip the dessert. Also ordered a drink, which was made really well. The service was good and definitely not pushy. Very professional. All in all I truly suggest Puttanesca.

In an effort to be more adventurous this week, we ventured into Puttanesca for dinner. The place looked nice, the hostess seated us right away and they walked us by this incredible spread of fresh breads and Italian spreads. Needless to say, we could not wait for it to hit our table. Sadly, it never came. And neither did silverware, water or bread until I asked a busboy after 15 minutes. And when he did return, we were not given the bread and spreads we walked by, but instead some stale bread from the kitchen. Every other table was enjoying this Italian treat, but us. When the waitress was nice enough to stop by our table, she managed to take our drink orders and food orders all at once (we were not going to let her leave for fear she wouldn’t return again). The food was decent Italian food, but the service was not. I would never go back here again. The waitress is lucky I let my girlfriend fill in the tip for me. She's a lot nicer than me.