Sfoglia

$26.00 for a chicken leg & thigh with no side dish?! It was bland that it came with a quarter lemon to squeeze on it. Had it not been my best friend's pick for her birthday treat from me, I would've stormed out when the waiter told me that I need to order a side dish. There are better Italian restaurants.

Sfoglia is a true cozy rustic-style ingredient-driven neighborhood Italian restaurant with an authentic "old country" interior. Literally, Sfoglia means an uncut sheet of pasta. Squid-ink pasta, and hand-cut linguine with sweet corn, chilies, and pine nuts are rich and flavorful dishes. Choice menu item change daily with seasonal ingredients. Personal favorites include mussels with Swiss chard, lamb sausage and chilies, pappardelle alla Bolognese, and Sfoglia's chicken al mattone. A host of Italian reds, whites, and desert can accompany all courses. Homemade after meal treats are spectacular. Commitment and synergy: this is what makes Sfoglia work. The management team is superb, the kitchen "runs like a clock"under John Carr's tutelage, and the staff is warm, smart, and professional. The restaurant's vibe is cool, warm, attentive, friendly. Sfoglia is a home away from home for me, especially after the bell at 4 pm. Johan makes the world's best Kettle One martini.

Yes, the food is not cheap here but the portions are not tiny. The ambience is quaint and comfortable. The service is wonderful, knowledgeable and they do not rush you. The pastas are obviously made fresh and perfectly al dente. The sauces are amazing and so fresh and everything is made to order and served hot. You actually taste the ingredients that are listed on the menu. The desserts are so fresh and amazing too. Even the bread which is given is fresh and wonderful. Fo people to say this is disappointing they do not have a refined enough taste bud to decipher good or great Italian food from outstanding and off the chart. You will definitely pay more but even the half portions are a good size and worth it!

I remember when this restaurant first opened and I couldn't get a reservation for months. I finally went, to celebrate a friend's birthday. Whoa, paid $110/person for average, mediocre food. I had the papardelle alla norma (they were nice enough to switch the pasta for this sauce) and it was not even close to what I would make myself. I'm a very good home cook, trained by my old fashioned sicilian mom and then my own learning of other cuisines when I got older and this place isn't even close to what we make at home. On top of that, the menu is uninspired, boring to say the least. Save your money. Overpriced for what they're offering. Go to Babbo, (another place you can't get a reservation in but can sit at the bar as a walk in) where at least you get some bang for your buck. I don't mind spending the big bucks when something is that good.

Wish we would have heeded the warnings from the posted reviews. The food is highly mediocre, overpriced ($16 for a fruit tart dessert we had to "reserve" in advance) and the menu extremely limited. Will not return.

The food was unimaginative and not really tasty. I could do a better job in my home kitchen. The bolognese sauce was doused with cream, the fish at market price (read: expensive) was a hunk of hake pan fried in butter and topped with raw, un-dressed baby spinach. The table had splinters and one even went into my hand. The waitress brought a $78 wine mistaking it for the $45 one we had asked for. The ambiance was nice as was our company which made up for the otherwise disappointing dining experience.

On entering the restauranct, a bad start with a very snippym hostess. Food was OK, but expensive and over rated. The dipping oil smelled like it was old and it was also used on the dish of beets. The deserts were good, but also expensive. Will not be a patron of this restaurant any time soon.