Ci Siamo — Restaurant in New York

As a Danny Meyer fan, I've been wanting to get a table here since my birthday in October. After 3 reschedules and the last one due to them wanting to give their staff a break from the 22nd to the 27th (which I really found as a wonderful gesture for their team), we finally dined in on Wednesday, the 29th. The hosts were both kind and really personable, always an excellent first impression when you have fantastic customer facing people to start off the experience. Halle, their Guest Relationship Manager was the one who reached out and coordinated with me to get our table rescheduled and not only did she give us an excellent table, one of the charming booths between the open kitchens, there was also a really thoughtful note saying, "Happy Birthday and Congratulations on your promotion.", so much has happened in between that I just got promoted too, so definitely had more reasons to celebrate. :)

Brandan (I thought Brandon but the receipt shows it's spelled this way so hoping this is right) attended to us that evening and he was warm, friendly, and gave us excellent recommendations. After placing our order, he asked us if he wanted to speak to one of their sommeliers if we were planning to get a bottle to which we did and she was wonderful and gave us three excellent bottle recommendations and we went with the $100 bottle Rose champagne that was fitting for the celebration and perfectly complemented everything that we ordered. I'm blanking on her name at the moment but if you guys see this and recognizes who from that evening, please give her our thanks.

As for the food, everything was incredible. The Caramelized Onion Torta (for someone who removes onions in most things), this was a revelation. This almost makes you want to order another one, it's that good. We then ordered the Cavatelli Allo Scoglio, the lobster, chili and vermouth combination was so divine! My husband ordered the Pork Milanese and I actually didn't have a lot of expectations other than it should be the standard good dish but the aioli sauce that came along with this was amazing, I thought it elevated the dish. One thing I have to point out, both were in generous portions, definitely good for sharing. We actually ended up taking what's left of the Pork Milanese home. As for desserts, everything was delicious! We knew we really wanted to try the Hazelnut gelato and it was the best decision! Probably one of the best gelatos I've tried and I've been to Rome so that's saying a lot. We also tried the Chocolate Budino and it was also yum. It was also a really wonderful surprise when one of their Managers gave us a slice of Lemon Torta, for our celebration. Truly knows how to make their customers feel valued and special.

Overall, don't regret spending $300+, incredible food, fantastic staff and service, and a beautiful place (just a bit challenging to find but all that goes away when you enter their space. It's been truly worth the wait and can definitely declare them as one of the very best new restaurants in NYC this year. My compliments to Danny Meyer, Chef Hillary Sterling and the entire Ci Siamo Team. You most definitely have arrived! Cannot wait to come back for another celebration soon. Happy...

We enjoyed an incredible experience at Ci Siamo this week! The food was delicious, the service memorable and the environment welcoming.

I made an error in the invite to my friends for the dinner, resulting in only part of our party arriving at the reserved time, which I was worried would mean we may lose the table. However, instead, the host staff were very accommodating and despite a full dining room, allowed me to be seated for one hour before the rest of my party arrived. This set a positive tone to begin my experience.

Our server, Jonathan, made our experience truly special. He was kind, attentive and very knowledgable. When he was at our table, he made us feel like we were the only ones in the dining room, which as I looked around, I could tell was how he approached every table. He provided insightful recommendations for food choices, which the sommelier, Jad Kamal, was helpful in guiding us to an appropriate bottle of wine for our dinner. When he realized we were a social table (understanding how to read the table), he showed interest in our work and maintained a pleasant conversation throughout our meal when checking in with us.

We opted for family-style, as was recommended by the team, which allowed us to taste several dishes. We started with the focaccia in cast iron, which had a beautiful crispy edgy with a soft, fluffy center. Next, we enjoyed one of their specialties: the caramelized onion torta. The pecorino in the flaky crust added a touch of salinity and tang, with a substantial amount of caramelized onions, offset with a creamy topping. I appreciated the range of pasta types utuilized, allowing for a range of texture experiences. The cavatelli's sauce had great acidity, balancing the sweetness of the crab. The ricotta-rapini filled agnolotti were pillowy-soft with a creamy center and a luscious lemon butter sauce. The lemon zest added a beauitful brightness, balancing out the richness of the dish, while the toasted breadcrumbs added a nice crunch to the otherwise silky soft plate. The smoked carrots were another favorite, with the salty feta and aromatic dill complimenting the sweet and smokey carrots.

We finished the dinner with one of Jonathan's favorites, the Chocolate Budino. I am a huge dark chocolate fan and do not like too sweet of desserts, so this was perfect. It's hard to describe the texture of the cake, as it was quite unique. The espresso zabaglione was light and airy - a great harmony to the more dense cake. Keeping in theme with the wood-fired nature of the restaurant's dishes, it was topped with smoked almonds. They offered a selection of after-dinner drinks, of which we opted for Amaro and Grappa.

Each dish was perfectly balanced, not only in flavor profiles, but also in textures. We were delighted that Chef Hillary Sterling was at the restaurant that night and stopped by to check in.

Though the restaurant is part of a complex, the dining room was warm and welcoming. The live kitchens helped to create an even more inclusive environment and the timing of the food and service was at a comfortable and appropriate pace.

I would highly recommend Ci Siamo and look forward...

This is the review I wish I was leaving after valentines day, which I sadly spent patronizing another establishment with lackluster food beneath its enticing exterior.

I've been to Ci Siamo twice, the second impossibly building on the first - a feat in itself. I was first compelled to try Ci Siamo and support the woman-led executive chef ecosystem of new york city. And, wow. The first dinner was for my partner's birthday, where we tried the gnocco, an ensalata full of flavorful greens ranging from savory to bitter, the lamb, and rigatoni -- with each arriving plate better than the last. The wine pairing was delightful and we left touched by the classy surprise of a spoonful of bomboloni for the birthday person!

Now, the last time we went, we were hungry with anticipation; the rigatoni had been so rich with perfectly charred bacon bits that we began fantasizing about its eventual arrival before we even ordered. Yet, wait, before I speak to the meal, I have to paint a picture of warmth: from decor across the expansive dining room, to the open kitchen displaying picturesque techique and rigor, to the friendliness of the hosts, our server (Laura?), the support staff ensuring the table was set and the inviting conversation of the beverage director.

First: We ordered drinks, with special off-menu recommendations so balanced and crisp that they were a delight in themselves. We first shared bread and salad, and my partner tried the scallop tartar. The slow flutter of their eyes closing and the languid roll of their tongue savoring each bite feels almost inappropriate to describe in public. I'm allergic to shellfish; but, for the first time, I truly understood that I was missing out on something, and the closest thing I would know was the tiny sigh they out after finishing the plate and said "marvelous."

Next: We debated back and forth about potatoes or Brussel sprouts, and sprung for potatoes - and they were fun, salty, and perfectly done. We dug into the rigatoni with glee - creamy, savory, textured - until we politely, mischievously clashed forks for the last bite. Allover excellence only to be made better when the kitchen gifted us a side of perfectly charred but tender-in-the-center brussels sprouts, just because we were intrigued!

We ended with the trout, which was accompanied by marvelous chili sauce and stuffed with greens.

Throughout the dinner, the staff were quick, attentive, and friendly - offering genuine feelings of welcome mixed aided by team communication. We also enjoyed watched the kitchen staff display their mastery of the craft through meticulous, quick and thoughtful movements.

We left full, buzzing from satisfaction and wistfully musing about the next time we'd find ourselves saying "Ci Siamo!"

The quality, freshness, and ambiance are dynamic and made better by an amazing, knowledgeable staff base. Ci Siamo is now a required reading; my partner and I have a pact to go at least once a year, if not each...