Altesi — Restaurant in New York

I will preface this review by stating that my philosophy is that if I can't say anything good, say nothing at all. But my first experience at this restaurant tonight was so distasteful on so many levels, that I am compelled to share it so that others don't suffer the same fate. Altesi opened 4 months ago (around May, 2014) as an extremely upscale, expensive spot on the upper east side. We were six people, all local to the restaurant, all anxious to try the new "in" place. We were seated and shown the menu which seemed relatively expensive, but not unusual for Manhattan. One appetizer, prosciutto and melon, came with the ingredients so thinly shaved that they were practically transparent and barely there ($21). The Mista salad was a pile of dried lettuce leaves ($14), and The Buffalo Mozzarela and tomatoes consisted of a tablespoon of mozzarella and 3 shaved slices of tomatoes ($19). For entrees, I ordered the veal cutlet Milanese which was no more than a scaloppini size piece of veal with the same sad salad on the side ($38). Suffice it to say that the remainder of the entrees were equally unremarkable. The coup the grace was dessert:: none of them came together and after 10 minutes of waiting we called the owner over who explained that they were very busy. Gelato was 2 small scoops in a JUICE GLASS, no garnish, no chocolate drizzle, no biscotti... NADA. The cappuccino was so weak it looked like tea. The service was curt and disruptive, with the waiters reaching across the table and over our heads to serve and remove dishes. When we complained to the owner he gave us a shrug. You get nothing for a lot of $$$ and we couldn't wait to get out of there and will...

Our reviews had over 36 million views last year. We do not get paid we just love to eat and have fun. We really loved Altesi Upper East Side (on 64th 2 doors off of Madison towards 5th Ave). Down just 6 steps to a lovely room that has been here serving some of the best Italian meals for over 25 years. The wait staff averages 15 years of service the reason is the great food makes all the diners so happy. We started with the Butternut Squash soup which had a slight sweet flavor from the squash. It was fantastic. We also had the calamari (flash fried to perfection with a great sauce) and the sauteed artichoke hearts "Jewish Style". They were really good and buttery. I had spaghetti and meatballs which was awesome. Some of the best meatballs I have ever had (sorry Mom!!!). Maria had the chicken which only had one bone. We were amazed at how juicy it was and this is a must have if you do not want pasta. All the desserts were great. There is no dessert menu, they just tell because it changes nightly. We got 3 and I suggest you do the same. We will come back here again soon. It is really great. Check out all of our reviews. If we do not like it we do no review it so all of the ones you see are places that are fantastic. Follow us if you like. We had over 36 million views so far this year and we thank you for that. We don't get paid, we just love to eat. Be sure to click on "RobH" at the top of this review to see all of them and to follow us if you like good food and FUN. If we do a review it is...

My wife and I had dinner at Altesi Madison and we were very disapointed in the food and the service. We were looking forward to trying this restaurant. We just moved into the neighborhood and Altesi is very close to our apartment. We were deighted when we entered the restauran. The decor is very modern, very chic. We had a reservation and we were promptly seated. At first everything was promising. Our wine and food order were promptly tken and the wine was delivered, openned and served promptly. We were aked what water we wanted. Told not one, but three, servers over a 20 minute time interval for water and finally got some poured. The first course came out: an acceptable sald and a below average lasagna. Our main courses were disapointing. My wife's pasta was apparently made on site and was a soft pile of mush. It was topped with a bland red sauce. We asked for some cheese for my wife's pasta three or four times. My wife was half way through her meal before the cheese arrived. My fish, the evening's special, was an unappealing dired piece of sole that had so much salt that I could not finish the meal. Throughout all of theis the owner/madre'd was talking to a couple next to us. he never even looked to see if anyother patron needed assistance. He certainy would have been aware of our constant requests for service if he was paying attention. We will keep looking for better...