Pepolino

I've been living in New York since January (this is my second time living here), and Tammy and I have enjoyed many a delicious meal, as we love to eat out. But NONE has been as impressive as our recent visit to Pepolino, 281 W. Broadway.

THIS is "Authentic Italian" made using fresh ingredients, while sparing the "heaviness" often found in "American-Italian" dishes.

From the moment we were greeted by the staff, we felt like we were visiting a friends home. The manager, Max, took exceptional care of us, welcoming us with open arms.

I was instantly impressed with the appetizer of TOMATO FLAN, a super light, super delicious tastebud energizer infused with just enough spice to get your attention. Our starters included: GRILLED OCTOPUS and the BUFFALO MOZZARELLA, HEIRLOOM TOMATOES & BASIL/ARUGULA. Pairing it with a nice, light red wine got us off to a great start. Tammy and I shared pappardelle PASTA & VEAL MEATBALLS. They were divine, as they were light as a feather (thanks to Ricotta cheese) and super tasty while not feeling heavy. It was simply superb--so much so, that we went back the very next night for dinner, when old friends of mine from Toronto, Canada came to visit. That evening was spent sharing two bottles of exceptional wine, light-as-a-feather NOCCI, fresh SARDINE SALAD, and a number of other wonderful dishes.

The service is attentive without being intrusive. The ambiance is tiny, but charming. And the people, as I said, are as welcoming as old friends, while the food is 5-star.

Do yourself a favor and make PEPOLINO one of your stops next time you're in New York!

Great pasta, homemade. Very fresh. Sources are very delicious. Go for black tagliatelle.

Pappardelle was good. Ate on the sidewalk, very charming. Excellent wait staff

Excellent Quality . Rather expensive but worth it. The staff is competent and very sympathetic. Very nice for a special night out, or a special treat.

Sadly, City Winery although a beautiful space, has no idea how incredibly, INCREDIBLY uncomfortable its seating is. I would say at least 80% of seating for concerts is the most cramped I have ever feel while out in NYC - I can liken it to a packed subway train. I've tried the venue three times and after each experience, I am disappointed at the fact that instead of simply removing 1 table off each row and adequately spacing things out, the venue would prefer to make a few more dollars and leave its guests on top of one another. This is bad enough with people you know, but when you're sitting so close that you are practically touching the stranger sitting next to you, it's incredibly distracting and uncomfortable. City Winery - please listen to the HUGE amount of people commenting here with poor reviews of your seating layout and actually make a change.