help need good italian!

[bklyng]

help-new yorker living in dallas now so out of touch with new great restaurants, coming into the city for my husbands BIG birthday. i'm the host for a party of 6. looking for great italian-old school-no fried sardines and skate! want the real deal-calamari -not fried- scungille,osso bucco, great veal ,etc.tried batali's del posto. they have set menu price fix of $95. don't want to have to order a certain amount of food. suggestions??

[ml77]

Sounds like you are looking for Italian-American style food. In which case, the best options are outside of Manhattan. Bamonte's, which was recommended earlier, would be a great choice. It's in Williamsburg, not too far from Manhattan by either car or train.

[snaporaz]

Just to clarify... by "great italian-old school-no fried sardines and skate! want the real deal" do you mean traditional Italian-American food? Or food you might actually find in Italy? Based on the mention of scungilli, it sounds like the former to me but please confirm.

[coasts]

except that it's a small place that doesn't take reservations and is prone to long waits. also, OP said they don't want a certain amount of food, and Torrisi only offers a fixed menu for dinner.

[snaporaz]

@coasts - I agree on all counts - so much so that after initially suggesting Torrisi, I thought better of it and was editing my post while your writing your reply. Like ships in the night!

[mick]

didnt know batali and delposto were old school

[coasts]

check out the menu at Crispo. it has quickly become our favorite italian place. they don't serve all the dishes you mentioned, but they offer a wide selection of meats and fish. the Trofie al Prosciutto is one of my top five dishes in all of Manhattan.

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Crispo
240 W 14th St, New York, NY 10011

[gutsofsteel]

Crispo is not a special occasion type of restaurant though.

How about Patsy's?

Are you willing to eat outside of Manhattan? I would recommend Queen in Brooklyn.

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Crispo
240 W 14th St, New York, NY 10011

[coasts]

i guess my occasions aren't special then, as I spent both Christmas Eve and Valentine's Day in their garden room. last time i was there, someone was hosting their wedding dinner at the large table beneath the fireplace.

[foodwhisperer]

old school outside Manhattan. parkside in queens, Bamonte's in brooklyn, Picolo venezia in queens. The Pines in the Bronx. Accapella and Ecco in Tribeca.

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Ecco
124 Chambers St, New York, NY 10007