09/26/09

Bad service, decent food

by lalapine

We live in the neighborhood and have seen the place before, so we finally stopped it because it looks nice--exposed brick, open oven, nice atmosphere. We ordered an appetizer and our entrees. They brought us our drinks, bread, and salad in a timely manner.

In the midst of finishing the salad, our waiter asked if we would move tables so that the restaurant could accommodate a large group of 10, 4 adults and 6 children. The table they offered us in its place was right next to the door, so we declined. The only other table they had to offer us was next to a man with his daughter who had been crying the whole time we'd been there, so we declined that table as well. They kept saying that the man with his daughter was about to leave as they had paid their bill, but the waiter cleared us up from our table before they had a different table set up for us so we had to stand around for awhile. After they finally got us a table, we were feeling pretty annoyed so we decided we'd rather pay for the appetizer and just leave. The manager came over and tried to talk us out of it, but we kept insisting we wanted to leave, so she basically held us there until our entrees came out and then said, oh well your food's here already, and then walked away. The waiter said he would offer us free desert or a glass of wine, but we don't drink and a $5 tiramisu isn't adequate compensation for moving people who have already started their meal. I pointed that out to them as well as that the large group they let in were clearly tourists whereas we lived in the neighborhood and would likely have come back if the service hadn't been so poor. The manager then brought us the menu and said we could order anything on it on the house (I wonder if we could have ordered a steak to go?), so we finally just told her to take one of our entrees off the bill but that we would pay for the appetizer and the other entree. When she brought us the bill, she had taken off the appetizer and left both entrees on the bill. We just paid it so we could get out of there because we were so annoyed and weren't able to enjoy our meals, though the food itself was fine.

I should also mention that though they seated the 6 kids, after a few minutes, the kids decided to go outside and play football, so restaurant didn't even end up needing our table.

• Pros: Good location, decor
• Cons: Poor service, poor management

04/06/09

Nice cozy place with delicious food!

by CSMobileUser

I love SEaport area on a nice sunny day. Last Saturday I found another jewelry hidden - beautiful italian rustic trattoria with a brick oven for pizza lovers. I am not a pizza fun, but it was just amazing-thin crust, crispy with fresh rucola and best prosciutto i've tried. And spaghetti carbonara was just perfect,

I love the seaport area and last Saturday I found a hidden jewel behind Fulton street.good food and service but the pizza was the highlight . Delicious well cooked but simply delicious. A nice joint with real Italians!!!

• Pros: Example: best croissants in town
• Cons: What are the drawbacks?

03/26/09

Great choice in the seaport

by andrewgibson2003

We just moved to the Seaport area so are busy sampling the local bars and restaurants. This is tricky because the seaport area has a mix of good places (which tend to be the older places, there for some time and off the main tourist drag), so-so places (if you see Wall St types inside, they are probably past their prime) and bad (the ones who cater to the one-time-only visitor never expected to return.

We tried Il Brigante unsure of what to expect, since it looks a bit touristy from the outside. Having lives in Little Italy, Chelsea and the UES, I know my NY Italian restaurants and this one is definitely better than average. The decor is a bit kitsch - like it's trying to look Italian but just looking kitsch, but the ambiance is actually quite cozy (mostly in a good way, but tables are VERY close together too). Most important of all, the food is surprisingly good - we ordered a mix of appetizers for the table, which were quickly and appreciatively devoured. Main courses were great too - pasta was perfectly cooked, with a great sauce. Dining companions all seemed to rellish their food too, and pretty much everything in front of us was soon eaten.

I would definitely recommend this place. It's not THE best Italian in NY, but it's one of the better ones I have eaten at and I will definitely make it a staple in my new neighborhood scene.

• Pros: Surprisingly good Italian with good ambiance
• Cons: a bit cramped

03/25/09

Just like Italy... sigh

by sailing163

I just moved to the neighborhood and came in the other night to get a pizza. It was cozy, I sat by the oven. My boyfriend and I got these delicioius fried meatballs called polpeti, the meats and cheeses plate, and then we got the vegetable pizza and one with prosciutto and arugula. They were amazing, really the best part of the meal.... I will definitely be ordering from here all the time. Plus we got this almond paste dessert which was wierd and delicious at the same time. So glad I discovered authentic italian in the neighborhood!

03/09/09

A Great Italian Restaurant, FINALLY!

by CSMobileUser5

By far, the finest Italian food I've had in a long time. Try the egplant dish and a cannoli for dessert. Its to die for. The atmosphere is also really nice. I give this place 5 stars!!

11/04/08

blah yet expensive

by Pearlou812

So sad to encounter such blah pizza. No taste. I had to douse it in salt to get any flavor. I had the same experience when it first opened and hoped it was a fluke. Nope. I'm resentful enough to sign up to this site to share how underwhelmed I was. The price points were several dollars too high for what the place is and then the quality blew. Go to Rays and save $70

10/03/08

Cheap ingredients but expensive bill. Sad atmosphere.

by pieropnyc

I was at il Brigante two days ago for dinner with three friends. We didn't like the decor, quite tacky, but we hoped the food was decent. Unfortunately it was not. Pizza was ok but expensive and so is the wine. Cheap mozzarella and cheap ingredients in most of the dishes we tried, from pastas to fish. Service is inattentive and the atmosphere quite sad. Overall a bad experience.

09/10/08

the best bolognese in the city!

by vanessanyc74

Seriousy the best pasta bolognese in the city! Always consistent great food, I eat here at least once a week and love it!

03/29/08

Romantic and Charming

by Moe68

My husband, daughter and myself decided to try Il Brigante. We went on Easter Sunday night. I ordered the lamb shank and when it was brought over to the table the owner Vin ran over and asked me if it had enough gravy. I said it did but he insisted that I try it "his" way. He brought over a gravy boat and told me to cut small pieces of the lamb and dip it in the gravy. He was right. It was delicious!! Our server was very attentive and knowlegeable about the menu. My husband is Italian and born and raised in Little Italy, he ordered a pasta dish and raved about it. Our daughter enjoyed her saltimbocca entree as well. We ordered desert (to die for) and Vin sent over a complimentary desert, it was like a reverse cream puff. All in all we had a wonderful dining experience and are anxious to go back and try the wood burning oven pizzas as well.

• Pros: warm atmosphere, delicious food, wonderful staff, attentive owner
• Cons: limited menu

01/21/08

Avoid the Bruschetta, Be aware of the Service!

by AndrewSaxon

Eat at your own risk, service was terrible, as was the bruschetta. We returned the bruschetta because it was half onion and it still appeared on the bill...go figure. I would stick to the pastas!