I was at this lovely restaurant last evening with a group of others for Restaurant Week, where we…read morewere seated in the back, which is a nicely designed area. The price is pretty reasonable at $45 for three courses, especially for the Village, given the pretty generous portions. Our waiter, who I believe was named Fahim, was very friendly, giving people good recommendations and keeping the atmosphere light and inviting while still being professional (top marks all around.) To drink, a bunch of us got cocktails, with most of them being $18 to $20. I went with the decent Rising Star with Desolas mezcal, arak, lime, agave, cinnamon, and star anise. I can definitely taste the smokiness in the mezcal as well as the lime and spices, but I found the anise flavor a bit too light for my liking, and would probably try the Cantarito instead next time. Other people enjoyed the Spirit Bird and Tokyo Drive. Prior to the meal, they gave us two types of bread with some olive oil. I wish the bread was warm, but it was good quality otherwise.
My appetizer of choice was the classic Vitello Tonnato, with slow roasted veal, tonnato sauce, and crispy capers. It's a cold veal dish I've had before and liked, but it isn't super common on menus. The tender veal had a refreshing flavor from the tonnato, and there was a bit of zing on the plate from some pickled onion. This was the smallest of the appetizers, but the portion was still decent enough with four pieces of flavorful veal.
I tried a bit of someone else's very large Lolla Rosa Salad, with said red lettuce, watermelon, watermelon radish, mint, roasted pistachios, and lemon dressing. The dressing was light, and there was a nice mix of textures, from the crunchy radish and pistachios to the sweet, crunchy yellow watermelon. Otherwise, a couple of others enjoyed the excellent-looking Burrata, and one person enjoyed the $5 extra Fritto Misto.
As my main dish, I went with one of their pastas. My choice was the Bucatini Limone e Gamberi with homemade lemon bucatini, Montauk shrimp, Meyer lemon, and imported butter. The pasta had a nice texture, while the bouncy shrimp added a touch of sweetness. However, the lemon flavor was a tad lighter than I expected, so overall, I enjoyed it, but it wasn't my favorite of this style.
A few of us also split the Charred Corn for $15, or $18 on the check, with Pecorino Romano and Calabrian chili. Aside from the price mismatch, I liked the flavor a lot, as it reminded me a bit of esquites. The chili flavor was a bit light, and it didn't have the sour component I usually associate with said dish, but I still liked it, and it was delicious when added to the pasta. In terms of other people, one person devoured the rather smaller portion of Agnolotti Cacio E Pepe, and one person had the Black Seabass. People overall enjoyed their food with minor complaints about saltiness.
The dessert choice was between cannoli and gelato, and their association with the excellent Pamina nearby made the choice very easy. As with the others, I went with the Pistachio Gelato, which was silky and smooth, with plenty of pistachio, or rather "pistacchio." I was also happy that it wasn't overly sweet either. I have had their gelato before, and this was excellent, as always. The other choices were chocolate gelato or a sorbet choice of either lemon, I believe, or strawberry.
After talking a while longer, we soon got the check. This is a tasty Italian spot with a good Restaurant Week Meal. If the service was only adequate, I would probably rate this closer to a four, as the pasta was a bit less notable than at some other places in the area, but our waiter made our experience that much better.