L'Impero--CLOSED
New York, NY 10017-7601
Phone: (212) 599-5045
- Price:
- $$$$
- Cross Street:
- Between 42nd Street and 43rd Street
- Directions:
- 4, 5, 6; S to 42nd St-Grand Central
- Hours:
- Mon-Thu 12pm-2:15pm, 5:30pm-10:15pm, Fri 12pm-2:15pm, 5pm-11:15pm, Sat 5pm-11:15pm, Sun 4:30pm-9:30pm
Editorial Review for L'Impero--CLOSED – by Justin Hartung
The Scene
This Italian restaurant does fine dining by the numbers: A dining room draped in cloth that's spacious and yet somehow claustrophobic? Check. A color-changing bar that attempts hipness, but looks more like the set of a bad 90s movie? Check two. The shrub-laden courtyard, where the vibe is less stuffy and the park view truly transporting? Absolutely worth checking out.
The Food
The elegant Pugliese fare of chef Michael White (formerly of Fiamma) keeps culinary cliches on the back burner. Nearly every dish surprises with unexpected tastes: Chilled tomato soup wets a fluffy cloud of burrata; plump figs get tossed with luscious pork belly; and pine nuts and raisins add crunch to the creamy texture of roasted black bass. But White also knows when to reign it in: Braised veal cheeks keep the focus on the succulent meat, and the gelato that accompanies tart lemon pudding carries just a whiff of rosemary.
Hits: Italian fare that's refined and innovative, and yet still leaves you wanting to lick your plate.
Misses: The dining room is so staid, you might start looking for the hidden camera and the announcer from the 1980s Folgers commercials.
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Insider Tips
What to DrinkThe wine list is predictably pricey: On the lower end, a $45 bottle of the Negroamaro Sangue Blu has a subtle cherry flavor that pairs well with the menu's fruit-accented dishes.
Lunch SpotThe lunch menu includes dishes like Roman oxtail ravioli and pink snapper fillet.
Prixe Fixe MenusTwo prix fixe menus are available for dinner: a $65 four-course option and a $110 seven-course tasting menu for the table.
User Reviews for L'Impero--CLOSED
07/02/2007 Posted by charlesmstam
I went here for lunch the other day and was pleased. The service was competent but not outstanding, but the pasta was the best I've had. The decor is lush. My olive oil dessert cake was very interesting and delicious. This place is worth checking out.
Pros: Terrifc Pasta, Nice Decor
Cons: Very Expensive
02/14/2007 Posted by belley
Went to this restaurant based on Adam Platt of the New York Magazine rating it as a top 5 best Italian restaurant in NYC as well as an excellent Zagat's rating. No way close in my opinion. The starters were great, the goat cheese salad and the polenta with mushrooms. We were so excited about the rest of the dinner. We love Italian food. The pastas were horrible, inedible, so we sent it back. We never send back things but this was just not edible. We chose a seafood pasta and the eel risotto, both were horrible and fishy in a bad way. We sent it back immediately. Took more than 30 minutes for the next course, the highly touted goat which was just mediocre at best; rather salty at best. The wait staff were nice but not very experienced and sophisticated as one would expect in a top restaurant. I would not recommend this restaurant at all. Would not give it a second chance.
Pros: appetizers
Cons: bad food and mediocre service
