Altesi Downtown — Restaurant in New York

We came here for my friends birthday.The food was not horrible, it wasn't the best, the fact that we all were charged $140 with tips and tax, for one person was nuts. We could of went to Peter Lugers and spent less. Or even an omakase spot... At first the owner told my friend there is an $80 option with no drinks and $120 option with drinks. But everyone has to pick the same option since it would be impossible to keep track. I guess it makes sense. But some people really don't drink for religious issues or because they just dont like it. All of them did include an appetizer, main, and dessert.

They made over $2660 off one table that night. We were not the only large party there. The restaurant was packed, the whole area is packed with people drinking eating etc. They even blocked off the block where Altesi is located. It was crowded. When we first walked in, they didn't have enough tables and seats. We had to wait for our server to find us extra tables and chairs. I wouldn't mind but they were notified ahead of time. Paying that much money for the service, we kind of expected them to prepare better for us.

I got a shirley temple because I personally don't drink, it was good, but theres too much ice. Im a slow drinker so my drink would water down half way. My friends margaritas were watered down and they didnt think it was anything. They finished the drinks in a couple sips. We were also given bread baskets, but we had no butter. It was cold and dry. We asked for butter and I think our server gave us hummus? It was fine, but the bread was just really stale and cold. Maybe its a person preference, i like warm soft breads.

The menu had the cheapest items, it was customized prefixe menu. The options weren't that appealing either. The mozerella was bland, the tomatoes were also bland, they sprinkled like three-four shreds of basil for garnish.

Gamberi was okay, I mean the shrimp was not the freshest, it isss an Italian spot and not a seafood spot so that is expected. Underneath was some eggplants, it was fine. I personally would not order it again if i went back.

My friend order the gnocchi, he is half Italian and didnt even finish it. He said it did not taste good.

The ravioli with truffle and mushroom was delicious, anything with truffle is yummy, but it honestly seemed like it was only cooked with truffle infused oil and stuffed with finely chopped mushrooms. It was good but you will be hungry for the rest of the night.

I ordered the Branzino as my main, it was fine. I mean again, not a seafood spot so I should stick with pasta next time. The branzino was not flavorful, i wish there was more sauce so I could hide that bland white fish taste. Or maybe even a lemon on the side would have helped.

I didnt get to try the espresso creme brûlée but I think my boyfriend really liked it. He didn't complain about that, I thought my tiramisu was super light and fluffy too, it melted in your mouth instantly.

The only thing I'd go back there for would be the tiramisu! I have never experienced such an expensive dinner with such quality people. You usually get what you pay for, but dont expect that at Altesi. Maybe the cost is better if you go on your own and not with a party with a pre fixe menu.

Everyone there thought they could of had a better time with better food elsewhere. Couldn't agree...

This is a mildly upscale, unpretentious and pleasant trattoria (resutaurant/bar not in Tuscany) with outdoor cafe seating. You won't find coiffed ladies from Park Avenue with poodles on their laps here, but you may see hard working millionaire actors who played Sonny Corleone from The Godfather. I know some of the staff and they are very friendly and equally efficient in their service to patrons. The price point may seem a little high for a family of four with two small children here on vacation. If you pay two hundred for a Manhattan hotel room per night, then this is it. If you are husband and wife medical practitioners with two small children, ah, well then, ignore the price point completely because you pay eight hundred per night at a SOHO "boutique hotel" suite and ignore the menu prices anyway (including the menu). Probably the chef already knows what you like.

[Millenials: Google "Al Pacino". "Sonny Corleone". "The Godfather". I know, all you care about is your "likes" on Facebook]

A delicious brunch during my latest visit with two cocktails and dessert ran me north of forty dollars plus tip one recent warm Saturday. This is reasonable. I cycled in from the Island via the 59th Street Bridge down Second Avenue, West on Canal and then North a short distance to Spring and Sullivan. You will find a tree or something to lock up your expensive Trek, but you won't find a spot to park your Lamborghini. The subway is a one minute walk for people who care little for cardio exercise. My usually spot to sit is at a a deuce, three tables in from the entrance and opposite the bike where I watch for anyone with bolt cutters. Brunch is delicious, but the panhandlers not so much. I love this place. It is located on a somewhat tree-lined street on one side and a new, monstrous residential structure for the Buffys and Jodys who do TV commercials and have inherited parental bank accounts...on the other side. This blocks the view of their park across Sixth Avenue, which they enjoyed for the last seventy years, and the late afternoon sun. Other buildings block several hours of sun at other times. Brunch time is "just right" for me or for a romantic dinner on a July evening when the sun is overhead and views do not matter.

It is "nice-neighborhood-but-not-Southampton" nice with good food, and people watching as the norm. Some working class families still live here. If you are from the City...you know these particulars. If you are from Iowa...this information is for your benefit. This is a description of where you will be dining today. Bon appetit!

"Some Local Color" Al Pacino rents a room nearby (okay, it is a multimillion dollar loft that could house several families). He is one of the many celebrities who stroll down Sullivan Street in this once predominantly Italian neighborhood, blending in with the residents. The rich and not so rich coexist here.

Yes Iowa, Manhattan is Hollywood East. Altesi is THE Restaurant...South Of Albany. Take I-40 East, then somehow "bang a right" off I-95. Then use Google Maps to find the rest of the way to your table. Take the Holland Tunnel. You can't miss it. After you go home to Iowa and reminisce you will...

There are no words to describe my recent visit to this lovey place in New York city. Stayed at the Soho 54th hotel( Hampton inn)on watts, altesi is only 2 blocks away So we decided to head out and check it out or some surrounding places. Before we left the hotel we asked misha, front desk clerk for some suggestions, and that was one of them( thank god for her recommendation). We proceeded down the sidewalk and continued to pass altesi(reason, look around a bit) and here comes a server, greeted us and proceeded with the dinner features(very tempting by the way) so we stayed! So we are from Texas (San Antonio) and we folks from Texas love to take our time and enjoy our dinners, and that is just what we did. We respected the fact that servers make money on table turning and I made it clear to my server that we were going to take our time(since it was our first time) and he so politely accommodated our request. From beginning to end the food and the service was impeccable. All of our 4 courses arrived hot and on clean plates every time because since we shared all plate settings were changed every time (attention to detail), I never had to touch my bottle of wine or my imported bottle of italian flat chilled water(crystal clear by the way) my glasses were always full to the rim. The seared scallops seared to perfection, my pappadella pasta was out of this world, my medium rare salmon was cooked to my specifications and not the chefs, and my coffee and rudy's espresso was hot, and finally the Apple a la mela was to die for. This all made our trip to New York and to altesi the highlight of our trip, thank you altesi for being true to yourselves and to being true to all genders and sexual preferences. I'm Edward and my partners name is Rudy been together for 12 years and we are very happy to have your place of business in our number one go to restaurants when in New York. Can't wait for our next visit, I'm counting the days, until next time my friends from altesi, oh and to the cute couple from New Jersey who photo bombed are pictures, we loved chatting with up, thanks for the...