02/23/08

Hugely Disappointing!

by jackmschatz

Having seen Chef Casella on television programs and read the many favorable reviews, the four of us were looking forward to an exciting, well-prepared meal that reflected the flavors, spirit and generosity of Tuscany. The reality of our meal was that all four in our party were served small, stingy portions of under-seasoned food, forced to choose from an extortionist, top-heavily-priced wine list and had to be subjected to our server's oft-repeated requests to order more wine and bottled water. "Short Ribs" (plural on the menu) turned out to be one small short rib (singular on the plate), the organic egg and pancetta salad was miniscule and the gelato scoops were tiny. And when Chef Casella (in street clothes and not in his chef's working outfit) stopped at our table for the traditional "how's it going?" and we told him about the tiny, overpriced, under-seasoned portions, he offered no explanation, apology or accommodation. In fact, he ignored our table on his subsequent visits to the tables around ours. Save your money and energy for restaurants and restaurateurs who really care about their customers and deliver on their promise of hospitality and value.

01/08/08

Cozy & Comfy

by qtgurljny

Italian food in a rustic, kind of country setting. Unpretentious and painted in bold colors, the ambience is nice and welcoming. Our waiter was animated and attentive, staff was friendly. There were good wine offerings. The food was good but, not mind-blowing. I had the Portomo, a deviled egg, arugala salad which was good and the spicy grilled shrimp which was excellent. The short ribs were slightly on the fatty side and smaller portioned. Fries and dipping sauce was good. Overall, I think the food was good, wine was excellent and do recommend it.

01/03/08

montezuma's revenge (and small portions)

by mfinnegan33

the food was tasty but the portions were small. that was the least of my worries with Maremma however. this restaurant gave me and 1 other person at my table food p*isoning. we each had the mussels appetizer and both were suffering from chronic bowel movements and nausea within 12 hours. and this is someone whom i hadn't dined with in several months (none of the other 3 people at our table touched the mussels and they were fine). so if you want to miss a few days of work and stretch your bowels to the limit, then please go to Maremma. there are thousands of other restaurants in NYC that serve comparable or better food but won't make you sick.

• Pros: ambience
• Cons: makes you sick for 2+ days