Cucina 8 1/2 — Restaurant in New York

After seeing the restaurant on Instagram, I already knew I wanted to try the tableside trio; their special of Caesar salad, pasta, and chicken parmesan served tableside, but first drinks (obviously). I started with the Pooch, a cocktail with vodka, lychee and St. Germain. It was delicious. My friend ordered the smoked old fashioned. It was served covered and smoke comes out when you uncover it. He loved his drink as well. We were already off to a great start. We placed our order for the tableside trio for $69 and the polpo alla griglia (aka grilled octopus). Each dish ordered separately costs way more in total, so it's better to get the special if you want to try them all. The salad was prepared in front of us. The grilled octopus was delicious as well. . The second part of the trio was the spaghetti al limone (aka lemon spaghetti). I personally wasn't crazy about. It was tasty for what it was, but the lemon just wasn't my favorite, but it is good. It's an acquired taste. The third and last part of the trio was the chicken parmesan. Chicken parm used to be one of my favorite dishes when I was younger. This one was definitely one of the best I've had. Again, the fresh ingredients are prevalent. The fresh cheese and sauce were delicious and the chicken was juicy. The second part of the trio was the spaghetti al limone (aka lemon spaghetti). Eddie loved it. I personally wasn't crazy about.. It's an acquired taste. The third and last part of the trio was the chicken parmesan. Chicken parm used to be one of my favorite dishes when I was younger. This one was definitely one of the best I've had. The fresh cheese and sauce were delicious and the chicken was juicy. Again, the fresh ingredients are prevalent. We obviously had to end with dessert. I ordered a cappuccino and Eddie got an espresso. Eddie was excited to get the zeppoles and I was intrigued by the pistachio tiramisu. In between courses they brought out chocolate biscotti and fried cheese. They add the powdered sugar to the zeppoles at the table which is fun. They were just okay though. Very light and airy, not greasy and thick like the ones you have at a street fair. I like those better. The pistachio tiramisu was delicious though. Overall, the meal was delicious, albeit expensive. The bill was over $400. Granted, we ordered a lot of food and drinks. Could definitely go and get the tableside trio with a cocktail each and spend way less money and still be very satisfied. I recommend going to...

I would like to share with you my recent experience at Cucina 8 1/2.

My friend and I, who are long-standing guests at your restaurant, stopped by for happy hour last week.

My friend ordered a red wine. There wasn’t a happy hour cocktail selection that appealed to me, so I asked if I could have the Cosmopolitan on your happy hour menu, without the extra ingredients (just the vodka). I was told ‘no’… that the restaurant does not do substitutions. I said I didn’t think it was a substitution, as it was on the menu; I was just asking for certain ingredients to be omitted. The server said no, again. I asked her if she would check. She did, returned, and said no. She asked me if I would like a full priced drink, instead.

I then asked if I could have the happy hour Cosmopolitan, unmixed (that is: vodka in one glass, everything else on the side). She checked with someone, returned, and said no. She asked again if I would like a full priced drink instead.

So, my friend had one glass of wine, I had a glass of tap water, we spent a total of $7, and left. We will not be back.

The restaurant lost money: we historically have 2 or 3 rounds of cocktails & something to eat - frequently dinner. So, the server lost tips. The restaurant lost revenue and two customers.

What is mind boggling to me is that I did not ask for a substitution of any kind, I asked for 1) certain ingredients to be omitted from the menu offering, or 2) certain ingredients to be served on the side. Had I ordered steak & vegetables without salt, the kitchen would have obliged. Had I ordered salad with dressing on the side, or omitted all together, the kitchen would have obliged. Had I ordered a drink on the rocks, or straight up, the bartender would have obliged. Had I ordered a martini with extra vermouth, or no vermouth, the bartender would have obliged. I am hard pressed to understand how my request last week was any different, or why you would go through such lengths to be so so ridiculously rigid, flying in the face of both hospitality & profits.

I do not blame the server. I am confident she was doing exactly as she was instructed. I believe management is misguided.

This certainly wasn't the “elevated dining experience” you advertise on...

An awful experience from beginning to end. I wouldn’t be writing this review if it wasn’t for the discourteous and unacceptable behavior of the staff (general manager included) and I will explain - but first, let me tell you why you should save your money and go eat somewhere else (1) There is NOTHING Italian about this place, much less the food (2) I ordered a simple dish of spaghetti with tomato sauce and inquired about the wait time since I was in a hurry and the server (not very accommodating) told me that the pasta would have taken 20-25 minutes (because we are in midtown (???confused) unless I preferred it uncooked (excuse me? Rude!) (3) I asked for some bread while waiting for my meal, and I was given a $16 focaccia – which should have been mentioned that was for an extra charge (I would have probably gotten it anyway, but at least ask!) (4) After paying I noticed that on top of taxes, there was a service fee of ($1.89) and I KINDLY asked: “Just for curiosity, what is this service fee?” and she told me it for CC payments, and I replied, “oh, thank you. I was just wondering; that’s cool - it’s just $2! – thank you for everything!” (I tipped 20%).

I decided to use the restroom before leaving and on my way back I hear her and the general manager (long hair) talking S* about me for asking about the service fee. They were saying something along the lines of "Baby, you're in NY, what do you expect? Get used to it, everyone is charging CCs fee (NOT TRUE!)" in a rude and sarcastic tone. I want to clarify that I was polite and respectful during my entire stay. As someone who has worked in the restaurant industry in NY for many years, I understand the hard work of the staff and always try to be extra nice to them (even if something goes wrong, I avoid complaining). One more reason why I found their disrespectful and inappropriate behavior totally out of place.

Save your money for eating somewhere else. If you are looking for authentic Italian cuisine, ‘Piccola Cucina’ is conveniently located just a few blocks away on 60th Street - they have friendly staff and amazing food – and you’ll definitely have a great...