Convivium Osteria — Restaurant in New York

Convivium has long been a favorite of mine, and I have been going several times a year since shortly after it opened. However, I am very unlikely to return. A group of 6 of us had a reservation for 9 pm on New Year's Eve. All 6 were at the restaurant on time, and we checked in. We were told it would be a few minutes, and we should wait outside (on a chilly evening). About 10 minutes later, they told us the our table was being cleaned up--it would just be a few minutes. 10 minutes later than that, someone came by and said--it will be very soon. Then they seated another group of the same size that had arrived after us, and again, assured us we would be seated soon. By 9:40, several of us went in to see where things stood, and the manager, who was busy flirting with some young women at the bar, ignored us for several minutes. He then told us it was New Year's Eve, and that the computer had messed up making too many reservations (I love blaming the computer, not the folks who define the algorithm). At about 9:43 we were seated at a table under the only speaker on that floor of the restaurant, which was blasting music appropriate for a teenybopper event. We asked to have it turned down, nothing happened. We asked again, and it was turned down for about 5 minutes, then blasted again. It was difficult to hear each other and the waiter. The food took a while to come, and most folks were happy with what they ordered. I ordered my long term favorite ravioli dish, which was nowhere near the quality of what I've had so many times before. The duck (if it was duck) was heavily laden with salt, and the ravioli were stuffed with a filling that hadn't been mixed well. It wasn't terrible, but it was deeply disappointing compared to prior times I had eaten it. It saddens me that a long-term well run restaurant has turned into such a mess. Several of our party had been on previous New Years Eves, and said this experience was horrible compared to prior visits. Scratch this one...

This was a great meal. We we're lucky to be seated in the lower level especially since the heat wave was in full force. The menu is very unique. It is not often that you find rabbit on the menu. And it’s less frequent even when you do find it that the meat is tender and delicious. There were so many fun things to try for example, for appetizers we had the octopus, the artichoke, burrata, and the salad. I probably could’ve stop there. But we went onto a main entrée with a number of different options all very delicious. The steak was made exactly to her liking medium rare on the rear side. And it was carved tableside perfectly. We also had the Seabass. I was very happy that we were able to order a deboned. I never enjoy taking bones out of my mouth while I’m eating.

For dessert we ordered the tiramisu, the flourless cake, and custard which of the three was my least favorite. The tiramisu was very good and highly recommended. What I liked about it is that it wasn't overly sweet. Flourless cake was pretty good though I’m not a big fan of too much chocolate that late at night. It was however about the only gluten-free option on the menu.

If I had one disappointment about eating here is that there was no gluten free pasta on the menu. I would’ve thought by now that most restaurants would have a evolved their offerings to include gluten-free pasta. But all in all the dining experience was really good. I would’ve given them foreign a half stars but half stars are not an option on this app. I really enjoyed it and I hope to return in the near future.

Oh and I really love the waiters hair design. He had this really cool style. I love when people take time for their appearance and also to say something really cool about their personality. It was a great...

This is a "mom and pop" Italian restaurant with extensive wine selections. It had rustic charm, beautiful that lovely. Such a warm, romantic space for a perfect date! It is a rather small space, but they do have another room downstairs, which can be used for a private event.

We had a few appetizers to share; Burrata con Pomodoro e Basilico, and Ravioli di Mele. Burrata dish was fresh and tasty, refreshing on a hot, steamy day. Ravioli had a nice sweetness to it, packed with flavor!

We also had their infamous Carciofo alla Romana, which is a Braised Artichoke. It was unique and impressive. The heart was almost creamy, melt in your mouth.

They had a few special of the day, and one of them was lasagna. We didn't order it, but we got a small sample, and it was soooooo good!

For main, I chose Spigola al Forno, a ‘Whole’ Mediterranean Sea Bass It came out beautiful! One of the owners, Michelle, filleted it for me right there. The first bite of the fish gave me such joy...it was absolutely delicious! We enjoyed this dish very much!

My hubby went with Agnello in Crosta di Pistacchio, a Sicilian Pistachio Crusted Roasted Rack of Lamb. It had a great crunchy exterior with plump and juicy inside. Packed with flavor, tender and very satisfying.

We ended with Tiramisù and Torta di Cioccolato. It was one of the best Tiramisù and flourless chocolate cake I’ve ever had!

We had an amazing dinner here, I am so happy to have discovered this restaurant! Everything we had was superb, we enjoyed them all from the first bite to the last. Our main server, Valentine, took a great care of us. If you want to have some authentic, delicious food with family and friends, or have a very romantic date, this might be the perfect...