Bar Rosina's — Restaurant in Greenwich

I so wanted to like this place a lot - the Greenwich/Port Chester border area can really use a few good restaurants after the closings of Mill Street, Tarry Lodge, Eugene's, etc. Have been 4 times with 2-5 people - we went a couple weeks after it opened, and then since then to give them a chance to get their operation up and running.

First the good - the pizzas are excellent - mostly crispy without being burnt (we had 1 burnt one). Have tried all except the clam. All had very good ingredients, proper ratio of sauce/cheese/toppings. Great to split with the table. The space is cool - can get very loud so be aware of that. They have a strange check in where the host/hostess stand is in the middle of the restaurant so you have to walk through the bar and front of seating to check in at a stand that is tucked around a corner - think this is because they are trying to manage both indoor and outdoor seating areas but it's awkward, especially for 1st timers. Nice wine selection at various price points - some of the wines are very young. Gentleman who runs the bar (John?) is a delight, and knows his stuff. He is very willing to give his thoughts on various wines, pairing with food, etc. Servers are very nice - at busy ties there can be some confusion with course spacing probably because of the "runner" model so many restaurants use now. The chicken scarp is very good with a unique twist to it.

Now the not so good. The appetizers were a mixed bag - broccolini and burrata were very good, crispy brussels weren't crispy and chicken cutlets were overdone and dry. Crispy potatoes can probably never be bad, but the meatballs were just average. The salads are interesting and huge (definitely something to share), but they come completely uncut so it's awkward at a table, especially at a smaller table. The pastas were a big letdown for us. We tried all except the malloreddus over the various visits, and they were consistently over cooked - made it impossible to focus on the sauce/gravy. The cacio e pepe was particularly this way (for the best cacio e pepe in Westchester try it at the cookery). Only a few entrees to chose from - as noted the chicken scarp was very good, the veal chop (priced at almost $70) seemed confused as to what it wanted to be!

While the servers are very nice, there is sometimes miscommunication. For example, one Sunday evening we had dinner at about 745pm - only sharing some apps and pizzas with wine. At 845 we told our server we'd settle up and have an after dinner drink at the bar. Paid and went to the bar - only to be told by the bartender that the bar was closed for the night (850pm). Sort of annoying.

The owner who works the front seems very nice and clearly has a local following. But to us, it seemed a lot like...

Really wanted to love this place but unfortunately couldn’t.

What I think really set the tone for the night was the service. Took 30 mins to get our first drink to a point where another waitress came and asked if we were being helped. Then when we get our drink she walks away, not asking if we’re ready to order. I figured she had other drinks to drop so I didn’t say anything and then she came back to our area to ask other tables how they were doing but still hadn’t taken our order not even for apps (or ask us how we were doing). Now we’re done with our first drink ready for another and still no sign of her so I asked the girl who asked if we were being helped while we were waiting, standing by the kiosk if we can place our order. She was quick to do so but when I asked my partner if we should order both our apps and dinner right then and there she somewhat defensively explained we had to order everything at once. Cool with me! I just get concerned doing so because some restaurants bring you everything out at once when you do that and since this was my bday dinner I didn’t want it to be rushed and wasn’t super confident in the service by our experience at this point. So that’s how it started.

As for the food. It was all very delicious and you can tell the ingredients are fresh. My tiff was everything on the menu runs about $20 unless you go for the entree which are $50-$75 and for the price I found the proportions to be quite small. We ordered the Arancini, gnocchi and a pizza.

Overall I think if the service was stronger, the portions and price wouldn’t be so glaring. After reading some reviews this sounds like a new place, so I would tell others it’s worth giving it a chance to make your own opinion. In all fairness it could’ve been the service we received just put a different lens on the night and because it was for a special occasion my expectations were higher. I would like to think my experience was a one-off and is not reflective of the effort put in by the cooks, owners and...

HANDS DOWN THE BEST ITALIAN IN THE RYE, PC, BYRUM AND GREENWICH AREA!

I travel all over and found Bar Rosina on a trip to NY. Vibe is great and sitting at the bar with a fantasticly made martini made it even better. Friday and Saturday at the bar are great post work times. Bartender is amazing and knows the drinks and menu well. Had my first of 4 meals at the bar.

While hanging had the opportunity to meet Jarred the Chef. Great guy who knows his stuff. He makes the best pasta I have tasted in the East Coast to date - more later.

Appitizers: Get the Focaccia! GET IT. Now try the red spread - it's crack for bread. Soooo Goood! Brussel Sprouts are 10/10 and so tasty. Had some Prosciuitto di Parma (Black Label) which was fantastic! Meatballs were solid and Chicken Cutlet was thin, crisp and worked well with the fresh lemon. Shrimp Oreganata was good in a white sauce that had depth. While I love Octopus I did not love this version. It's a little different.

Pasta. If you get only one pasta, and you can share it, get the MALLOREDDUS. Hands down my top 3 pastas ever. SOOOOO GOOOD. Have had it a few times now and it hits on every level. Pasta noodles are fantastic and chewy as they should, shrimp (which are really prawns) are soft and tasty. The white sauce is soo flavorful and packed with lemon and a touch of heat (calabrian). Finally the breadcrumbs bring everything together in a magical way. THIS IS THE SHIT! The Pappardele is your second choice. Good, solid, redsauce with great fresh noodles.

Seating inside is good. A little loud when busy in front section, so maybe ask for the rear section. Never sat outside as it was very hot and muggy when I was here, but it's small and looks good.

Can't say enough good things about this find of a place. I bought friends and they raved about it. Go. It's...