Gaetana's

Waaaaaaay undercooked pasta (rigatoni), and "with shrimp" amounted to three shrimp. Three?????? Our server waived the shrimp charge, but we didn't feel like we had a $92 experience. Great basil sauce. Thanks again to sympathetic server.

While I was in the village I wanted to visit a classic old school Italian restaurant that New York is famous for and not just a modern restaurant with an Italian twist. After searching high and low, Gaetanas looked like exactly what I was looking for. Baked clams oreganata, linguine frutta di marre, pasta fagioli, and other classics all at a reasonable price. When I first walked in I was impressed. It looked like a quaint little place that I felt comfortable in. Unfortunately, the decent impression quickly faded into an obscure memory.

We arrived at 4:30, approximately 30 minutes after they open for dinner. A waitress wasn't there yet, but the bar tender who was a nice guy pointed us in the direction of a table. We sat down, reviewed the menu, and put together our plan of attack. I ordered the clams oreganata as an appetizer and when it came time to order, the first thing we asked for was a calzone. We were told that the oven was just getting heated and it would take at least 30 minutes for that. Considering that was a bit of a wait for an item that typically cooks in half the time or less, we gave the menu another glance. It seemed like forever for the bar tender to come back to the table, but when he did we ordered. While we got hungrier waiting for the food to arrive, the place got hotter and hotter. Our meals came and looked good, although I was sweating up a storm by that point.

First problem with the food - the rigatoni and sausage was actually served with penne. Hmmm, that wasn't what we ordered. Oh well, we marched on and while the dish was fairly good, it was disappointing that the pasta was from a box. I mean, for a $20 dish, I would have thought it would have been homemade. Second problem - the clams were delivered after our entrees even though we ordered them well before everything else. We were told that was because the oven was still heating. Still? If the place opens for business at a certain time, they should be good to go at that point. In my younger days I worked in the restaurant business and when the doors were opened, we were ready to rock. Problem 3 - the clams oreganata just wasn't that good. The clams were small and the breaking was soggy. Also, the clams tasted kind of fishy which was a little disconcerting. As a result, I didn't eat more than one. Problem 4 - the frutta di marre was a total disappointment. The calamari and the shrimp were both chewy, the sauce wasn't that flavorful, and I really think the seafood was frozen. Just like the clams, I didn't finish it. That in and of itself is the sign to others that I didn't enjoy my meal because normally everything would have been devoured and bread would have been used to sop up every last drop of sauce. Final straw - once we started eating a waitress did show up and was attending another table. I heard her list a number of specials of the day, none of which were presented to my table.

I know this was a long story to make a simple point, but food is like my religion and I look at every meal as an experience. I diligently do my research and ask around when looking for new eats, especially when I am visiting from out of town. There were some really good reviews about Gaetanas and like I said in the beginning everything looked awesome on paper. Unfortunately the food was below average and the service wasn't that much better. My family is usually impressed with my flair for finding great places to eat, but this was not one of them. I have a lot to make up for tomorrow for our next out of town meal.

This is the best Italian food in NYC. Eat here as much as possible. Pumpkin rav or linguini with clam sauce is the best

It feels like walking into a time warp back to pre-millenia NY. It's chill, the bar was just crowded enough, there are no typical annoying rules, you can sit wherever you like, and the owner Frank is such an attentive host. They're homemade mozzarella is soooo good too! I loved everything!!!

I read every review before dinning, I am a chef back home at a highly rated restaurant. I can not emphasize how much I enjoy this place. One of my favorite bars to sit and enjoy dinner. Frank the owner went out of his way to welcome us and make us feel special and like we were his only priority yet you could see how busy the whole place was.