Ammazzacaffè — Restaurant in New York

TL;DR : this place is amazing and you should try it before it becomes too popular to get a seat. I had to remove some stuff here because of Google's character limits.

Let me preface this by saying I did not want to write this review. I think Yelp is generally misused by people who either want to have their server fired for a perceived slight or hope to get a free dessert. I, selfishly, hoped that I could keep Trattoria Ammazzacaffe a secret to be enjoyed by myself and as few other people as possible. That would, however, not be fair to Gary and Kelly, the duo behind this treasure, who poured their souls into creating an amazing experience or their staff who execute their vision.

I visited the restaurant for a date once before but I wanted to return and experience it again on my own. I highly recommend everyone does the same. When you walk in you are greeted and asked for your preference in seating. If you, like me, wish to enjoy your respite from the outside world you’re best served to take your seat at the bar. I wrote a paragraph about how beautiful the bar and woodwork is but deleted it. Just go see it and touch it for yourself.

If you have an eye for this sort of thing you’ll quickly notice the meticulous details that characterize Ammazzacaffe. The dining areas are connected by a service station that equal parts transparent and intimate. You will not believe the quality of food and drink that comes out of such a compact space. The backyard is perfect for Summer in Brooklyn. Oh, and the music is on point for good measure.

I strolled into the restaurant at around 8:30pm and took my seat on the corner of the bar. Kelly had mentioned before that I should come back and try the duck, she warned me that it can take over an hour but was well worth it, so I came prepared for and enjoyed a long evening.

I started off with a Negroni as I’d never had one before and felt this particular bar would be a good place to try one. I was correct.

Before the first course you receive olives in an house herb oil. If you, like me, have had an aversion to olives, these olives will change your mind. If they sold their herb oil in bulk you'd probably find me trying to bathe in it, it's that good.

My first course was the pancetta. Now I’ve had a lot of a pork in my day. But this was something different. If you want to know how to perfectly balance meat, fat, and crunch in your pork, ask Gary. The cherry pepper and agro-dolce bring this together for a pop of umami many chefs dream mastering of without ever achieving.

Second was the Gémelli Verde. Kelly paired this perfectly with a mineral-y white wine (name escapes me) that was a real treat A bite that includes the pasta, maitake mushrooms, goat cheese, and spinach will make you question how something this simple can taste as good as it does; until you realize that’s exactly why.

For my main course, what I’d made this particular journey for, I had the aged duck. You should, too. Before this evening I had only had one moment, tasting a 1994 Chateau Haut-Brion, in which the taste made me truly feel something. The ephemeral moment of skin and meat on the tongue is, in my opinion, perfect. I do not have the words to properly describe it. You may wish to close your eyes and really focus on it. I did, at least. Paired with a Syrah forward Cotes du Rhone that sang particularly well. After a few bites I felt compelled to tell Chef Gary that it was the best I've ever had. Because it is.

For dessert you should have the ricotta. If they have any left. Trust me. Just do it, okay?

I finished my evening with a single espresso and an amaro of Kelly's choosing. I could have died absolutely content with life right then and there.

Bring a date here, bring your parents here, bring your kids here. I don't care, this place will knock their socks off.

Or, better yet, don’t bring anyone, just yourself. Sit at the bar, turn off your phone, and pay attention. But, move quickly, before everyone...

At first I gave this review 2 stars instead of 1 because the service was good, but after someone of the management staff found my review funny I will downgrade it to 1 since you guys are being disrespectful. here’s the story of my experience there. To start with... I am truly shocked that this place has 5 stars reviews. They have accommodating and friendly staff but that’s about it. My biggest disappointment was the food. To say that it was mediocre would be an understatement. I was thoroughly searching for the best place for my bday party and picked this one because of the good reviews. Well, it turned out to be a huge mistake. Portions size is ridiculously small, appetizer with 1 piece of burned prawn for $7? Like really?! Calamari app had black garlic on it which tasted odd, pancetta app (pork belly) was drown in a fatty and spicy sauce with some weird stuff on the top that tasted awfully bad. You may wonder how someone can ruin a piece of lettuce. Well, this place surely knows how to do it, again, it was drown in the sauce that was way too sour, like a mixture of expired Caesar and ranch dressings. But the number one reward in the category Suckiest Dish goes to Cacciucco Bianco which is a weird combination of a very few pieces of seafood, spicy Japanese dressing and a bunch of soggy bread floating in the broth. Charging $38 for it is a real theft. On top of that, my friend had a teeny tiny margarita for $13 which was pretty basic. And let me add that it took very looong time for the food to be delivered although the restaurant was empty. To sum up, I cannot describe how disappointed I am, picking this place for my bday celebration. I was really ashamed that I brought my friends to a restaurant with horrible food, poor portions and preposterously high prices. I hope you guys reevaluate the menu and, instead of desperate attempts to be fancy and top notch, choose simpler options with some edible dishes, not an odd mixture of incompatible ingredients that taste like a waste of money. Needless to say we left hungry and hit a spot one block away with some decent food and...

My sister is obsessed with Italy and wanted a 100% Italian evening for her birthday. So, on Wednesday April 10th at around 9.10pm I took her to Ammazzacaffè after our Italian dinner, and the bartender was aw-ful!

My sister wanted an Spritz, I was Interested in discovering more amari, we sat at the bar. Mind you, we would have stayed more than 30 minutes and had ordered more but the bartender's attitude through us off. I'm browsing through the menu and wanted to try a rum "negroni" (as in built like a negroni) with an amaro, so not a Kingston negroni. I wanted to find an amaro with vanilla, warm spices notes and find 2 that could go well with Capelletti. Naturally, being a novice in amari, and followed the amari descriptions the menu offers and asked the bartender how forward the described flavors are? And if they could eventually compare to a Liquor 43 (referencing a bitter cordial with warm spices aromas). The bartender, tells me straight up, with this 20+ amari list "Amaro is bitter, you won't taste these aromas, it's bitter, you won't feel any vanilla or whatever is described on the list".

Amazing! lol No way? Amaro is bitter? Who knew?

This place is literally pouring of amari, but I get this type of answer instead of a helping hand figuring out what would suit my pallet. And the cherry on the cake was when I asked if there was a flight, to that he answered look at the menu and walked away.

At least tell me where to look at as obviously after spending time on the menu, I clearly missed it... I order my made-up negroni and couldn't remember the name of the house rum, so I asked what is the house rum again? Do you think he provided an answer? He just stared at me until I looked it up again and told him myself.

Mind you, it was my little sister's bday, she witnessed the entire encounter, completely bummed out that I took her to this...