Scalinatella

$160 for a $35 bottle of wine? Come on! Plus, it tasted poor and the waiter kept assuring us that since it was a sangiovese it had to breathe. Well I know the sangioveses and they don't have to breathe for 20 minutes to be barely palatable.

The food was wonderful. But the waiter was "shocked" when we asked the price of the special, told us no one ever asks. Then he quoted a price. The bill came and the price was more! when questioned he said the prices went up. did this increase magically occur sometime between ordering and paying? When questioned again, he proceeded to argue, and refused to get a manager. My friends and have NEVER gone back. Too bad, the food was good.

Some say the waiters are arrogant! I say they are experienced and confident in their recommendations. Great atmosphere and wonderful food. We go there at least twice on every trip to NY.

Dinner here always feels like a party. Generous atmosphere and portions.

I came here with high hopes and actually liked the noisy, crowded dark cellar which made it feel like a party. Our first courses were fine. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. Mains finally arrived, clearly having sat under a heat lamp, forgotten. My seafood pasta was gummy, my friend's rack of lamb was overcooked: the only thing decent was osso bucco which obviously was already overcooked. And it cost more than dinner at Nougatine! What a disappointment.

Yes, it's expensive... but so are white truffles. This is the best pasta I've ever eaten, counting Italy! I love that the waiters would rather you tell them what you like, then chef creates something for you rather than only off the menu. It's cozy & feels like you're at an Italian holiday. The food is amazing. Service is not fall all over you sappy, but they want you to have what you want & like it! I couldn't decide between 2 dishes, they gave me a plate with both. My sister didn't want a full plate of truffle pasta, so they gave her 1/2 portion. I think they're very accommodating & dream about my next trip back to NYC & truffle pasta!

The food here is very very good. It's not the best Italian restaurant in the city, but it's definitely in the top 10. Given the options on the upper east, it's about the best you're gonna get from a food perspective. Cost are absolutely outrageous. Everything on the menu is roughly $10 more per plate than what it should be. That includes pastas, pollo selections, etc. The real danger zone is the specials. These are so far out of line with the menu prices that I find it almost fraudulent that they don't have them written down with the associated prices. At a minimum, the servers should say. I know a lot of people don't like that thinking it's cheesy, but when the prices are so off scale from the menu offerings I think it's the right ethical, not to mention smart, thing to do. Nothing worse than having a nice meal and then feeling sick after seeing the check. Those places will never get good word of mouth business and in this economy that's a big mistake. I'd sum my feeling about this place as follows. I think the food is very good and it still feels like a place to go on a special occasion. That said it's not per se and shouldn't be charging per se like prices.