SD26

I went here last night for Restaurant Week and was underwhelmed. Service was uneven: our first two courses came out promptly after ordering, in rapid succession. Then there was a long wait for dessert. That did not bother me as much as the mediocre food. The bread was bland and semi-stale. The beef cheeks were mushy and bland; more than one diner at our table compared it to airplane food. The panna cotta was flabby--sweet, fatty, and not much more. Ditto for the semifreddo. The cookies looked and tasted like they came out of a Pepperidge Farms bag. (I did have a bite of the egg raviolo and baba a rhum, which were both tasty.) In addition, the noise in the cavernous space, decorated with large Brillo pad sculptures, was deafening. It was impossible to carry on a conversation from more than 2 inches away, and that was only by shouting.

Definitely try the Uovo and the Fettucine with lamb ragu if they have it. loved each dish we had and the restaurant was very accommodating to us and our baby.

This is one of those restaurants that is even better at lunch than at dinner. For one thing, it's reasonably quiet (though busy--obviously I'm not the first to notice how good it is in midday.) For another, the food is spectacular. And finally it's a (relative) bargain, offering two more-than-ample courses for $26. They also have a "balanced" four-part lunch-of-the-day that I'm dying to try.

I liked the old original San Domenico better back when they were located near Central Park West. While this restaurant has a nice corporate ambiance, I was disappointment with my meal. The portion sizes are very small as they try to cater to a more upscale refined crowd. I thought the recommendations made by my waiter were poor. First and foremost, sicilian prawns should not be the size of japanese baby sweet shrimp. If you go anywhere else, a prawn is the size of a jumbo shrimp. Explain to me how SD26 can get away with giving an order of 8-10 baby sicilian prawns as a large order for $48? There is a reason half the tables are empty. By marketing to the high end, you have completely lost the business of the average to mid-upper tier crowds. I was extremely disappointed with this dish. The other dishes were small and skimpy as well. When I got home, I had to make myself something to eat. I was starving well into and after my meal at SD26. I suppose business people spend most of their time chatting and just nibble at food. Are two bites all you really need?

I went when it opened and loved it. Just went for the second time and it's even better. Not good things: it's killer noisy and it's not cheap, but I knew that going in. Good things: loving service and fabulous food. The chef is different and the food is now what you'd get in an upscale restaurant in Milan. The pastas are glorious. And I love the fact that you can get a small portion of almost everything on the menu.

I went to SD26 for a first date with my current boyfriend and I could not have asked for a better place to do it. The iPad wine menus were fun and unique, our server was attentive and welcoming, and the foot was delicious. We had to wait a bit for our table, but we honestly didn't mind at all because the bar was a great place to hang out and talk. Perfect!

Spent $350 on 4 person dinner here last night. Everyone left feeling like we didn't eat very much. I ordered the pasta special and was shocked when it came out. Portion was TINY! Seriously, why would anyone skimp on pasta? The best thing I had was the salad, which was a bargain compared to some of the other stuff. This place could do much better if they got rid of the ipads to order wine (they are really slow) and the overbuilt meathead waiters in tight shirts trying to operate a cellphone looking food ordering device.