'inoteca
New York, NY 10002-2202
Phone: (212)614-0473
- Price:
- $$
- Cross Street:
- Ludlow Street
- Directions:
- F at Delancey St; J, M, Z at Essex St
- Specialties:
- Italian Food
- Best of Citysearch:
- Impromptu Date Spot 2008
- Hours:
- Sun-Fri 12pm-3am, Sat-Sun 10am-3am
Editorial Review for 'inoteca – by Dana Bowen
The Scene
The neighborhood's barflies and gourmands converge upon this airy, timbered room, where wide retractable windows open onto a bustling corner. Think Metropolitan Home meets Tuscan farmhouse: The blocky wood tables and a sleek bar welcome everyone from brunello-sipping business sophisticates to casual groups on the cheap. The down-to-earth owners--a triumvirate of Otto, Lupa and 'ino alums--are generous with wine tastes, pours and pairings.
The Food
The pan-Italian menu forgoes the appetizer-entree format in favor of fairly priced small plates, which quickly add up. It's hard to resist another order of those deep-fried herb-laced "suppli" rice balls, egg toast with whiffs of truffle or polpette meatballs in tomato-citrus sauce. Artisanal cheese plates, interesting affettati (sliced meats like culatello and prosciutto) and well-crafted sandwiches--spicy chicken tramezzini on squishy bread; slow-cooked porchetta with fresh horseradish--invite sharing. Everything is a la carte, so round out the meal with refreshing grilled fennel-asparagus salad.
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Insider Tips
What to DrinkThe mark-up on the 350-plus Italian-dominated bottle list is remarkably low; the dozens of wines by the glass or quarter-bottle are well-suited to sampling. From northern Italian bubblies to southern Italian rarities, like Ciro's spicy red Felice San Ducal, are all available at great prices.
Where to SitA subterranean private dining room offers respite from the buzzing upstairs scene, with low vaulted ceilings overlooking temperature-controlled wine storage.
User Reviews for 'inoteca
08/19/2008 Posted by mabcbravo
I've heard that this place is great, that they pair your food with your wine... but i ordered a pork shoulder panini and I asked the waiter for a wine suggestion. He just recommended the most expensive one from the menu. (without even realizing what I got for lunch). The panini was not even good, the bread was like eating a rock and -would you agree that when a dish is going to be super spicy, it should be written somewhere on the menu-? the panini had 2 different spicy pepers... i couldn't even eat it, it was so spicy... NOT a good place for lunch!!!
Pros: Outdoor seating
Cons: they dont have air conditioning inside... if it is a hot summer day, you will sweat...
08/14/2008 Posted by Chj2008
After reading great reviews I took my husband out for dinner - we ordered and sampled majority of the dishes - oh my - we both hated it. Even the table next to us we overhead complaining about the bland food. How could everything be so tasteless???? The only thing that was half way decent were the meatballs - but then again, how can you mess up a meatball in tomato sauce? Perhaps I went on an off night? Or my jaded 10 year NYC palate has become overly hard to please??? Service was fine though . . . from the host to the waiter . .
Pros: Good service, cute decor
Cons: bland food
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