Leonardo Da Vinci Italian Ristorante
(212) 772-7809
1574 2nd Ave
New York,
NY
10028
40.775
-73.9538
Neighborhoods: Midtown, Yorkville
What People Are Saying About Leonardo Da Vinci Italian Ristorante
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
Italian dining with exquisite flavors and family recipes captured by native chef.
User Reviews
TeamPlayer2
January 24, 2009
Oh No! I went to Leonardo Da Vinci restaurant today and you're gone! Chef Gabriele, where are you? Your place was the best kept secret of New York City. This is Beth from CBS! You'd better e-mail and let us know when you re-open! Regards from CBS friends.
read full reviewEpicureantreasurehunter
January 23, 2009
WHEN ARE YOU RE-OPENING? I finally found an outstanding, authentic Tuscan restaurant after having tried and tried and you are no longer in the neighborhood! Having returned from an amazing epicurean tour of Tuscany, Italy in 2006; I'd been desperate to recreate that gastronomic experience. Leonardo Da Vinci restaurant and Chef Gabriele Bagni are the "real thing"...as good as it gets. I had gone to Locanda da Vinci, in the town of Vinci, Tuscany, as I am a travel writer. It is Chef Gabriele's family's five star hotel and restaurant. He is the 16th generation of a family of Tuscan chefs. Locanda da Vinci is paradise...a medieval convent with early Caravaggio frescos on the walls as well as Il Cavaliere murals. At the of my visit, Chef Bagni told me he would be opening a small place in New York City in March, 2007 and I couldn't wait. Alas, Chef Gabriele did exactly that and managed to create a cozy, elegant, epicurean's dream of a restaurant on the Upper East Side which far exceeded my hopes/expectations as to what he could re-create outside of Italy. From the outside, elegant but modest, and on the inside, he recreated some of the stone work and style of the convent/hotel Locanda Da Vinci. This place was a MUST for "foodies" and wine enthusiasts. I can't believe The New Yorker, TimeOut etc. "missed the boat". I never saw a review in one of those publications. My personal favorite dishes were Gnocchi Bolognese, Wild Boar Stew with red wine, olives and tomatoes and Three cheese tortellini. Oh yes and The Filet Mignon a la Toscana is to die for. Chef Gabriele personally visits each table, makes suggestions, describes wines (a wine connoisseur to boot). I must have brought every friend I have to this restaurant and was so very disappointed when they had to close. I heard that the Chef was quite ill but that he would re-open in Hoboken, New Jersey sometime in 2009. I'll swim there if I have to! Waiting with baited breath!
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PRrestaurant
May 19, 2008
I am in awe with seeing the few bad reviews that this restaurant has had. Although it has gotten many more 5 star reviews than bad reviews, I am just surprised with seeing some of the bitter (sometimes illiterate) bs written about great food. The goat cheese salad, caprese, chicken saltimbocca and the meat lasagna were all superb. The chef is from Italy and has brought a lot of authentic influence back from there. I have eaten all around Italy and thought this food was authentic and very comparable to that of Tuscany. Awesome experience, nice people, good service, good food and even great touch with having a jazz band playing once in a while.
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