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Mon noon-2:30 pm, 5-10:30 pm, Tues-Sat noon-2:30 pm, 5-11:30 pm, Sun 4:30-10:30 pm
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- Neighborhoods:
- Clinton, Midtown
At a Glance
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95% ambiance
“The service was good, but I found a sommelier to be a bit much for the casual atmosphere of the place.”
100% dessert
“The fish entrees come to life and the deserts were delicious.”
100% drinks
“Throw in an excellent Italian wine list and some delicious cocktails (the pomegranite bellini and pineapple cosmo were terrific) and you have an all-around excellent meal.”
86% food quality
“But I got 3 small slices of fish which was WAY overpriced.”
92% menu variety
“The food was outstanding, and Joe was very helpful as he offered excellent suggestions and explanations of the menu.”
91% overall
“Luckily he was able to leave early one night so we decided to find a great restaurant to enjoy a wonderful night out.”
66% return potential
“went there once and vowed never to go back due to the careless and downright rude attitudes of the waitstaff.”
82% service
“Overall, the service was very good and not intrusive.”
68% value
“The fish was very fresh and well-prepared but not to a degree to justify any higher prices than at many italian restaurants.”
50% wait time
“The service was good, but not excellent; however, the waiter was initially huffy with me when my guest was only 5 minutes late, threatening to make me move!”
December 20, 2012
This is a pretty good place to go for sea food. The place was decorated nicely and the staff was very polite and well mannered.
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January 05, 2012
Gross and way overpriced. The 4 of us left hungry and disappointed. The only thing satisfying were the cocktails. Do not go.
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November 16, 2011
Boycott Mario Batali Restaurants.
Mario Batali's recent comment comparing bankers to Hitler and Stalin are downright disgusting and irresponsible (reference at bottom of review). While there are many views on bankers during these challenging times, his references to such dictators who executed many people for their religion and / or beliefs is hurtful and ignorant. I do not believe it is in this world's best interest to support him or his restaurants given his most recent comments.
google or search for the following article as a reference: "mario-batali-apologizes-for-comments-comparing-bankers-to-hitler-stalin"
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November 16, 2011
Batali's comments are hurtful and insensitive. I can't believe Batali is comparing bankers to Hitler and Stalin. Agree with the previous post that it is completely insensitive. Why can't he just stick to making food? I can only assume that if he is busy attending conferences and media events offering his political views he is definitely not paying attention to his businesses and the quality of his food. Given this, and the insensitivity he recently displayed in comparing bankers to Hitler, I will no longer eat at his restaurants and will encourage others to do the same.
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July 15, 2011
Good for foodies but lacking in ambience.
The food is the standout piece to Esca. I thoroughly enjoyed the squid ink pasta, marinated sardines and fish stew (the crudo tasting was a little bland though). The service was good, with water and wine glasses being refilled and new utensils being laid out in a timely manner.
The main drawback is the actual space itself. When you walk in, you are liable to think you walked in through the wrong entrance. It feels like a back entrance as you immediately face a large table where servers are cracking pepper and preparing plates. The hostess stand is tucked a little bit to the right and the two hostesses on Wednesday night were inattentive to the point where I thought they might just be waiting for a table too and didn't work at the restaurant at all.
The bar at Esca seats maybe five stools and the servers rush between the seated patrons and those standing by the wall to get from the kitchen to get to the main dining room, shouting out
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February 25, 2011
Stay Clear- Bad Shrimp - it made me sick : (. Menu is excellent but unfortunately I ordered the wrong dish. Don't order the Fritto Misto it has bad shrimp, they smelled like Amonia...they told me the shrimp has iodine. I felt sick and threw up. Manager was unsympathetic and unwilling to look into it. Service is excellent, decor is warm. I don't want other people to get sick so stay clear of their shrimp it's not worth the unpleasant experience !! : But someone should really look into it !!
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February 17, 2010
Wonderful experience.
A friend and I went to ESCA (without reservations) and sat at the bar where we were greeted by an amiable tender named Victor who promptly presented us with a wonderful and complementary white bean bruschetta. My friend and I shared the tuna carpaccio (which was delicious) and I ordered the gnocchi ricotta while she got the lobster spaghetti. The menu said it was a one-pounder but it looked kind of small to me. I ordered the gnocchi because I saw it on one of the Food Network shows and I was not at all disappointed.
Our evening was topped off by a visit from the chef who shared stories of his growing up in New York as well as other fun stories of this wonderful city. We had a great time, good food and great company. I would definitely recommend ESCA for anyone wanting an enjoyable experience.
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August 25, 2009
Jumped the Shark. I remember eating tasty crudo in a lively location, but that just is not so anymore. Maybe the chef was away in the Hamptons yesterday, but the food is just unacceptable at this point. The best part of my meal was the San Pellegrino water. If you're craving crudo - head to The John Dory to dine with the celeb set, eat some tasty seafood and raise your glass and have a good time.
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June 08, 2009
TERRIBLE! and overpriced. We went here for a birthday, expecting great things. Restaurant was packed, so we assumed it was going to be good. First of all, the portions are very small so you need to order a few to be full. We started with the tuna carpaccio, which was disgusting. It was drenched in olive oil and salt, with no seasoning. The tuna tasted very fishy, which is uncharacteristic for tuna. The pasta course was delicious, but we each only had 4 gnocchi. Main entree, everyone in the party ordered a fish dish. they were all bad. Mine once again came drenched in oil and salt. Maybe this is the chef's one and only way of preparation. But for $100 a head, there were no flavors. I could have done a better job myself. Also, it said that the whole fishes would be filleted for you (to take out the bones). We all found bones, and when we complained, the hostess was obnoxious and said well it's not perfect.
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