Scalinatella

Expensive? Yes, but i come from from the old school that if you have to ask then you can't afford it. I am from Las Vegas and have eaten at Scalinatella many many times and the food is exceptional and a very fun atmosphere to bring the family. Did i mention the Linguini and white clams are second to none?

How they get away with the prices they charge is beyond me. The quality of the food, the atmosphere and the service certainly don't warrant it. I have no problem paying $150-200 pp for a meal in the city, and I do quite often - but the meal has to warrant it. This meal didn't. I ordered a bottle of wine the waiter suggested (it was NOT on the menu) - they charged me $90 for the wine, although I suspect the price might vary depending on the mood of the waiter, or how he sizes up his next victim, oh, I mean next customer. Two weeks later, in another eastside Manhattan restaurant, I ordered the EXACT bottle of wine - it was ON the menu - at $50.00 !!

If you like dining in a basement, packed in like sardines, jostled by waiters and most of all, paying for overpriced, overrated food, then this is the place for you! I am not adverse to spending a lot on dining out in Manhattan, but this place wins the rip-off award. They recite the "off the menu" specials in a way that implies that if you order from the menu, you're "not in the know". They don't tell you the prices - when the bill comes, the shock sets in - how about $32 for pasta with "lobster" sauce, and not a morsel of lobster in it. The wine list is very expensive - the waiter suggested an "off the menu" (they love this off- the- menu stuff) bottle of wine for only $90..(a bargain!). The food was ok, by no means great, and I kept rubbing elbows with the man at the table next to me. The topper to the whole evening was when the check came. It was a whopping $595 (there were 3 of us) - that's without the tip. I did a quick mental check and calculation (handwritten bill is- hard to read), and I came up with a number about $100 LESS than I was being charged. I called over the waiter, and asked him to please go over the bill, as I believed I was overcharged & their addition was wrong. He came back a few minutes later, smirking, and said "So sorry senora, the bill is correct". I am not an accountant's daughter for nothing, so, undaunted, I added up the numbers one more time. I was CERTAIN I was right, and they were wrong. I called the waiter over once again (he seemed annoyed this time), and told him to please check the addition again! I saw him huddle with 2 others in the corner - then another man came over , and said how sorry they were, that I WAS correct, and they were wrong! The new, corrected tab came to $489. I took another look at this revised check, and what do you know - I had been charged $95 for each of the 2 bottles of wine - not the $90 we had been quoted! Yes - I had to call the waiter over once again - and now the final check came to $479 - I had been overcharged (and almost ripped off) to the tune of $116! They said they were sorry - another man came over and asked what he could do - I had already settled with the waiter (finally) and I said - you can try not to cheat others, and get it right for then the first time! I couldn't wait to get out of there. What a fiasco. So, beware & check your bill.

I just called the restaurant a few minutes ago to ask how far the restaurant was from the hotel I am staying. I am not familiar with New York. The woman who answered the phone sighed and was very annoyed all she did is give me the address to the restaurant and told me she didn't know how far it was. Next I asked her to spell the name of the restaurant so I called look up the menu on the computer and all she did is say the name of the restaurant three times slowly and acted like I was a moron when I still asked her to spell. If this is their way of treating people before you even get in the door, I not wasting my money there. I will ask for another recommendation from my hotel.

I am not cheap and entertain client's regularly in NY, but this place has gotten out of control. $500 for 2 people including tip. This was for 2 appetizers, 2 main courses, 2 desserts and 4 drinks (please note - NO bottle of wine). It seems that what they have decided to do is offer specials without prices. The appetizer that I got had truffels and they charged a price that is "not in line with the market". My feeling is that if a special does not have a price and it is more then $100 - the waiter should politely mention it. The food was good, but I will not go back. It is not the cost that will keep me away, it is their way of doing business. There are plenty of other Italian options in this great city.

Our experience at this restaurant was one that we will never forget from a negative stand point. The specials that were purchased by our party were so over priced that they would make anyone's head spin regardless of yearly income . One member in our party ordered A ravioli special stuffed with veal that cost 180.00$ The servers present alot of specials orally in broken english . There is no mention of price in a deliberate way to deceive the customer. I have dined at many 5 Star fine dining restaurants and have never encountered specials of any kind priced this high.This restaurant is a con. Trust when I say make sure you ask server to reveal prices of specials before ordering or you will be in for the surprise of your life. I could not recommend this restaurant to anyone .We arrived at this restaurant in good faith and ended up finding that this establishment does not operate in the same fashion.

Went here for the first time recently and was extremely impressed with the food. It was easily the best veal I have ever eaten. I also tried a friend's steak which was excellent. Had a three pasta appetizer which, of course, was delicious. The service is very quick, no complaints about that. The restaurant is a small, but it wasn't a problem in my opinion, and the food more than makes up for it. This place is quite pricey, but if you want to treat yourself to some excellent Italian food, you can't go wrong here.