Da Toscano

This place is hands down one of the best Italian places in the city. Happy to have it on my fav lists now! Nomz: Our waitress told us one of their must have dishes was the braised artichokes. And while I would have never put artichokes towards the top of my veggie list. After trying, I actually put this dish on my life changing bites list - one of the best vegetable dishes I've ever had - it was perfectly cooked, melt in your mouth explosion of flavor. I am dying to have it again. Then I moved on to the Garganelli verde and it was also absolutely delicious. I love saucy dishes and this one was the perfect balance of sauce and meat- the pasta was so tender and I savored every single bite and was dreading the end of my meal. Drinks: We had cocktails and they were amazing! But I don't remember the name of mine :( but it was a pink color and it was balanced on sweetness and was refreshing. Pic included so you can ask if interested. Service: Was good, they're busy but come by and check on you enough for sure!Ambiance: It's so cute! Mood lighting going on. Bar seating in the entrance with tables past that further back. Nope or Dope: Dope dope dope, on my permanent rotation, need to go back like yesterday

After living in Italy for a few months, I am pretty picky when it comes to Italian food. However, Da Toscano blew us away! This was one of our favorite meals during our NYC trip. A few highlights on things we ordered below:Focaccia: so good. You can tell this is fresh and that the EVOO served alongside is high quality.Tortellini: good but you could make this at home. Next time I'll pass.Pasta dishes: we had a ragú as well as a lamb filled. Lamb filled was good but we didn't love the texture. The ragú was our favorite. Both were good though!Tiramisu gelato: we haven't stopped talking about this one since we came home. Tiramisu is our favorite dessert so we always get it if we see it on a menu. With this being a gelato, it is a modern approach-- but they did it sooo well. The ice cream tastes just like the mascarpone filling of tiramisu. Service here was good but nothing to write home about. Ambiance was the same story. But the food would get us back in here on a flight just for it. We really enjoyed Da Toscano! Lots of cute bars nearby to keep the night going too!

How does this place not have FIVE STARS?I have been waiting to try this place and finally did for my 52nd birthday. My decision was solely based on one NY influencer who was dipping tortellini in some EVOO, honey, and then some grated cheese (like parm).I wish I could remember the influencer because they were not wrong on one single thing...da Toscano was absolutely my favorite place this trip to NYC.We were able to sit at the chef's table and from the moment we walked in to the moment we left, every single thing and server was stellar. Corrine was our server - TOP NOTCH! We had multiple items and regretted none of them. Please make sure you try: the tortelloni, octopus carpaccio, angel hair pasta, black ink pasta with scallops (these were how scallops are meant to be cooked!!), the garlic butter stuffed chicken, and brazino. Literally all that we ordered and I'd do it again! Service was so amazing; not your stuffy NY attitude of servers just wanting to rush you out. Cannot recommend this place enough and cannot wait to go back.

They added 'Fazzoletti alla Genovese' and oh my god......... Top 10 pastas of my life. Short Rib and Onion Ragu pasta. GENIUS. This has become my favorite here and I really hope they leave this on the menu forever. The Lamb Pappardelle is still such a good pasta but slightly too salty for my preference but I believe it's due to the foie gras so it's okay lol. Another amazing dinner at Da Toscano!

Food (4/5) - Octopus carpaccio was interesting, definitely a work of art - watched one of the servers take out dishes and dishes of it prepped from the fridge, individual octopus tentacles sliced super thin and arranged artistically on the plate. Presentation was perfection. Octopus is always a tough choice for carpaccio because the meat itself is tougher and harder to pick up flavour. Bread accompaniment was toasted with garlic butter, which was good flavour standalone. Perhaps I left it out a little too long, crust got a little dry / too crispy for my taste.Pappardelle was amazing - very tender pasta, large sheets. Definitely get it if it is available. Together with the lamb drippings, was melt in your mouth.Lobster pasta was great also, fresh chives was key, and the tomatoes added enough zing. Was a little too salty.Apple olive oil cake is a must get. The milk jam still has me dreaming.Service (3/5) - Seated quickly with a reservation at the bar, was nice to have a view of the house preparing the food! App came out pretty quickly, as did dessert, mains took over 45 mins to come out, they seemed really busy.Ambiance (3/5) - Very dark, pretty cramped, there was minimal space to put down anything at the bar. Music got louder through the night.Price (4/5) - Definitely on the pricier side, runs 30+ per pasta dish and even more for mains, apps are 20 or so. Dessert 15-20.

We stopped in and got lucky to get a bar spot. The bartender was the best, giving great recommendations and made a fantastic dirty martini. We started with the focaccia, tortellini, and the artichoke appetizer. It was the perfect amount of food for the two of us. The artichoke appetizer was one of the best things I've ever eaten- it was so soft with a great cheesy touch- do not underestimate it! The tortellini dipped into the honey or olive oil with cheese was a fun take. The focaccia was so soft it almost melted in your mouth. For our main we split the duck parpadella and it was fantastic- the flavors were balanced perfectly and you barely could tell it was duck and not beef. It was a nice portion as well, not too large but just enough after all the apps.We were too full for dessert. The drinks were fantastic too- the olive branch martini was nice but the dirty martini was even better!

Wow what an experience from start to finish We we created by Riley, the restaurant manager, who after seating us provide the list of water and drink options and also wished us happy birthdays and anniversary Our server Alia was a gem! I find that sometimes service in NYC lacks but it makes it up in food...but Alia too such great care of us from start to finish! She recommend her favorites- not just the "most expensive" which can be so off putting.It was clear she had a love for the food too and talked about it with passion. We started with the La Tur Polenta Tortellini Dipped in Parmigiano Reggiano & Honey - such a fun and innovative way to eat pasta!Next we had the Agnolotti - stuffed with Lamb Neck, served with a sauce made from the Drippings - wow just wow!!! (We would've licked the plate lol)Our main dish we ordered Coriander Crusted Duck Breast served with Truffled Celery Root, Crispy Celery Root, Vermouth Jus. Delectable!!!And we finished the meal with the Tiramisu Gelato Sundae - trust me - order it - from now on I will only each this tiramisu lol!Overall a wonderful experience-

If I could have an entire meal alternating between two superb items off of Da Toscano's menu, I would. The order would be simple & would go something like this; start the night with a Negroni & end the night with a Negroni. Our NegroniBraised Artichoke Our NegroniBraised ArtichokeOur NegroniBraised ArtichokeOur NegroniOur Negroni is Da Toscano's take on a classic Negroni and consisted of Bimini Gin, St. Agrestis Inferno Bitter, Carpano Antica Vermouth. Excellent cocktail. The Braised Artickoke is under the small plate section of the menu and was made up of Napa Cabbage, White Wine, Garlic, Breadcrumbs, Parmigiano. Incredible flavors.In all fairness, our party of three did order o few other dishes; Warm Rosemary Focaccia, Pappardelle, Ricotta Gnudi and the Tortellini. I personally enjoyed the flavors and textures of the Pappardelle most. Last but not least, make a reservation. But, if you can get to Da Toscano 10 minutes before they open, you should be able to snag a seat at the bar. We were the first group to arrive and somehow were able to get a table without a reservation.

Lovely restaurant in the West Village more tucked away. Ambience inside was intimate without the tables being completely on top of each other. We started with glasses of lambrusco (which was delicious). Then for appetizers did the octopus carpaccio, focaccia & the polenta tortellini. The octopus may be our favorite of the whole night, delicate and perfectly balanced. That taleggio butter that accompanied the focaccia was insane. The only dish I found to be a bit overhyped was the tortellini. It's a fun concept, dipping them in the oil, honey then parm but it was a bit lackluster. For entrees we shared the Garganelli Verde (our fav), Angel Hair (nice flavors but very over salted) & Garlic butter stuffed Chicken (SO good). Our waitress was kind and helpful but pretty absent for most of our meal. Busboys were great about being on top of the water refills which is great. Overall, we will definitely return.

Da Toscano should get 3.5 stars, however I've decided to grade on a curve!A few of us decided to make a reservation at Da Toscano (you 100% need one or you are not getting in!) anyway we show up to the restaurant at 7:00 p.m. and are sat immediately and we are told by the hostess that "they need the table back by 9:00 (figured that should be enough time).We place our drink order (do not order the "olive branch martini" disgusting!) and the drinks are delivered immediately.From there we put in our food order (see below for what we had) Stater:- Octopus carpaccio (best thing I have ever had, literally melts in your mouth!) Pastas:- Black tagliatelle (the pasta was cooked perfectly and the lobster was delightful)- Ricotta gnudi (they were like little clouds that melted in my mouth) - Orecchiette (unlike any other orecchiette that I have ever tasted, the Italian sausage makes the dish!)Main Plate:- Barbecued pork chop (the meat falls off the bone and the potato's are like heaven) The above was shared by the table and I would recommend going the shareable route. The dishes are brought out appetizer first followed by the pasta dishes and then ending with the main course. By the time the food runners deliver the main course you run out of time and feel rushed to exit the restaurant!We were told that we would not be able to order dessert, or we are welcome to take the dessert to go because we need to be out by 9:00 p.m. mind you we did not dictate how long the food would take to come out and we were eating at the standard pace of consuming food (no dawdling).We were told three times at the end of the meal that we need to go by 9:00 p.m. this was very rude as we would have loved to of ordered another round of drinks and dessert!Rushing paying customers out is not appropriate and leaves a bad taste in your mouth.I am grading the restaurant based on the gorgeous ambiance and the food.Da Toscano still has some work to do in the service department.Definitely a place worth checking out, however, I will not be returning for a while.