Da Andrea Chelsea — Restaurant in New York

Celebrated a friend's birthday dinner last night. This was probably the longest and most unprofessional wait for a table that we've had to endure. Reservation was for 7pm. We weren't seated until 7:45pm because they didn't manage their customer's expectations for the reserved table at 7pm. The worst part is they didn't have a proper waiting area so our group of 8 had to be awkwardly standing by the end of the bar because the bar was also already crowded btw. The hostess couldn't give us an estimate of time and there was another female waitress who couldn't even be bothered to say 'Excuse me' whenever she passed through us, the most awkward situation. We've also seen at least 10 other tables get seated. They should be properly trained as customer-facing people and how to at least apologize for the inconvenience.

The good part is the restaurant's interiors are bright & pretty. Once we were finally seated, our waiter starts to get drinks and really wants to upsell bottles of wine. We all want different drinks so we don't do bottles. You could already sense our frustration that the waiter still wants to do it his way and doesn't take into consideration the 45 min. wait or perhaps acknowledge it even to lighten the mood. He insists to take the drinks first then he will come back to take our order for the appetizers even if we were all set to give it to him. It's his way or nothing.

Drinks came. Appetizers were good because everyone's famished at this point. Frito Misto was good, the Baked Buns were good. Entrees were served. Pastas were all generally good but the birthday celebrant and another friend who ordered Filet Mignon found it fatty. More drinks. Then we ordered desserts, Tiramisu for the celebrant, Creme Brulee for the table and the Chocolate Walnut with Salted Caramel for us, which was the best out of everything. They gave 3 additional desserts on the house because the $36 was in their mind enough to compensate us for the long wait and inconvenience of standing and waiting for 45 mins.

After paying $805.47, we were so ready to move somewhere. Unfortunately for all of us, this was a highly recommended restaurant that we were excited to try and experience but didn't really wow us. Rough start for the year. Hope they learn how to treat their customers right and value their time better. There's too many other fantastic Italian restaurants out here and the competition is tough, so there will always be options if they don't really wish for...

New Chelsea Location, Northern Italian fare with a variety of food options

The West Village Da Andrea outpost has a sister location to the North which is worth a visit. It is a large space as you enter in with high ceilings and a welcome long bar.

We were warmly welcomed for brunch recently and sat near the bar with many spaces. There was a large group sitting near us and everyone was in good spirits.

We started with some cocktails and appetizers. There is a cocktail and wine list and we choose the signature seasonal cocktail list which is $20 each. The Cocomero cocktail has Planteray, Domaine canton, Aperol, and Watermelon. This summer classic with a slice of watermelon placed on the side of the glass was refreshing and strong. The Fragola fizz cocktail has Tito's vodka, St. Germain, Strawberry, and basil. This cocktail is a light summery easy to sip. We also had some bread and olive oil brought to our table. The focaccia bread was a great way to start the meal but also dangerously good.

For the appetizers, we ordered salmone affumicato for $26. It has fresh baked "Tigelle" buns, smoked salmon, capers onion, and scallion cream cheese. This dish is served on a long wooden board and the size is huge with piles of salmon. The second appetizer Cozze en guazzetto has steamed mussels, spicy tomato sauce, garlic, and toasted focaccia. The mussels were another large portion with a nice dipping sauce.

For the brunch entrees, we had Benedict Aragosta and Cacio Pepe. The benedict has poached eggs, lobster, asparagus cake, Hollandaise sauce, and English muffins. Spaghetti Cacio Pepe has parmesan, pecorino, ground black pepper, and shrimp. The size was a good portion, especially with the lobster dish. They make their pasta homemade in-house, so I enjoyed that one too.

For dessert, we had cheesecake and tiramisu. The Tortino Di Ricotta has homemade ricotta cheesecake and mixed berries, and the tiramisu has espresso, lady fingers, and mascarpone. Both desserts were decadent and flavorful. We had a drink of limoncello at the end of the excellent meal.

Thank you to the Da Andrea team. A special shout out to Serena at the front of the house welcoming us and checking on us during our meal.

I can't wait to go...

I've been going to the village location for years, but seeing the newer Chelsea location for the first time literally inspired a double-take. Whereas the village spot had grown such a loyal community of patrons in such a small space, this spot does the same building of welcome and family with higher lofted ceilings, tiled floors, clean and classic furniture, and finally a breathtaking marble bar worthy of the establishment! Add in giant picture windows, and the right amount of greenery, and this space is one I just don't want to leave.

As for the food? Just as good as before, with fresh specials and a chef with a careful and wonderful palate. It's rare to find food so deftly seasoned that the minute salt shaker doesn't leave its tableside position, and Da Andrea keeps up with the past decade of dining I've grown to love.

For lunch, I'm a fan of picking the smaller dishes I'd normally never get a chance to try without betraying my favorites, matched to a daily special soup, risotto, or pasta depending on the time (I eat several hours later than most folks, so I'm spoiled by the quieter times but might arrive when they're being made—good problems that only come along with true fresh daily options). For dinner, I've never regretted any of the primi options; even if as an American it still feels deep down like some type of betrayal not to eat pasta for every Italian meal, I can't encourage you to push through and enjoy some of the options you find, including one of the best lamb dishes I have ever eaten. Or don't—I can't fault anyone for getting the freshly made pasta as long as they take time to enjoy the balance of it all. This is one of the only places where I will actually go out of my way to order stuffed pastas like their ravioli, which suffer in no way from the paucity too many other restaurants bring from lesser tries.

Obviously I am biased, and have said too much already, but let me just be clear: it's a joy to see this place open, to celebrate the success of a restaurant you love, and to do so by, frankly, eating...