da Toscano — Restaurant in New York

Walked in and was immediately greeted by the hostesses. They're staffed up so you're not going to be awkwardly waiting for someone to take care of you, which is all too common. They were warm, professional, and upbeat.

We were seated at the two seats right at the end of the chef's counter by the kitchen, and the restaurant was bustling and yet incredibly well-run (especially considering it was opening night), composed, and didn't let you feel as if you were being swept up into the rush that is so common with restaurants. It was a joy to watch them work.

We kicked off with one of their signature cocktails (The Don) which was well-balanced and very enjoyable for a cold, rainy night, and then moved onto the Winter Fashion which was a less-sweet and deeper version of an Old Fashioned.

We actually didn't realize we'd be able to get a seat so had eaten prior to da Toscano, but had to try a range of things.

We started with the raw Wellfleet oysters with their house mignonette - right down the middle and a nice palate cleanser.

We then moved right into the Crab fat roasted oysters - I'd come back again for a platter of these. If you like crab/lobster/prawn roe, don't miss out.

Then into the Tajarin pasta - I can only describe this as everything you want a duck and ham pasta to be. The pasta itself (all of it is made in-house) was the perfect texture, and the duck cracklings and ham gave you different textures and a richness to the dish that was ALMOST overpowering, right up until the vermouth and acidity cut into it and also added further depth to the dish. You know how some restaurants make the mistake of drowning certain pastas in too much sauce? Not the case here. Perfect amount of a bit of bread but not so much that you were slinging sauce everywhere as you tried not to inhale it in one go. I will be back to move through this entire pasta list.

Having very little stomach space left, we chose to try the affogato (Fior di Latte Gelato aka milk gelato, espresso, and crumb cake) and Grandpa Lusk's Cheesecake. I strongly recommend drowning the cake in the gelato and espresso mixture and eating it. But the true star of the two desserts was the cheesecake. I'd eat the whole thing. Looks dense, but is light and creamy, sweet and tangy, deep and just perfectly executed.

Update: Photos uploaded from our second visit, the second night of opening.

This time, in addition to the Crab Fat Roasted Oysters, Tajarin Pasta, and Grandpa Lusk's Cheesecake, we also got the Grilled Beef Tongue Panino ($7, would have 3 of these and call it a damn good meal), a special of Scarlet Prawns (balanced but highlighting the sweetness of the prawns), and Chicken Liver Rossini (much bigger portion than expected). I would've been more than happy to literally just order these appetizers one more time around and go home and pass out dreaming of them again.

We also got the bucatini with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, árbol chili, and dried shrimp breadcrumbs (think a shrimp XO sauce in a refined lighter delivery) and Agnolotti which was filled with lamb neck and sauced with drippings. Just the right amount of seasoning and not an overwhelming game flavor that turns people off lamb.

For dessert, we got the carrot cake - pretty sweet but classic.

Can't wait to come back and literally keep working through the...

2021-09-28: Definitely one of my most favorite restaurants in the city. Maybe only topped by Del Posto (RIP). I'm here at least 2 times a year. Wife and I always have a great time; superb food, A+ service, and just wonderful atmosphere inside and out. Consistently great in all categories.

The cocktails are always fantastic. I love the arancia (mezcal) drink. Nicley balanced in flavor and strong. Great start with the appetizer.

The pastas are enough to share and they're all entree portion and can easily be shared between 2 people. Every pasta is a winner.

The highlight for me is definitely the meat! The pork chops are a must! Tender, flavorful, succulent, and juicy! Nice and thick and can definitely be shared (but you shouldn't! It's really good!). We tried the beef rib and I was not disappointed. Fall off the bone. Incredibly meaty! Two bones per order! Great for two people.

And you must try the coffee. Not sure what secret brewing technique they have. But it is THE best La Colombe coffee ever.

And the pandemic has not changed the quality. It's incredible. Worth your time and every cent. Shout out to Sabrina, who is probably the nicest and sweetest waitress ever.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Very unique dishes and good portions. Excellent and attentive service. Great cocktails. Great for date night as well as a regular neighborhood spot.

Loved the cocktails; vertical railroad with tequila and mezcal. The alpine slide and sunset in sicily were equally refreshing.

Ordered the famous roasted oysters as a starter. It was very unique and was very savory. Definitely worth a try. The polpette or pork meat ball was tender and went well with the cocktails as a start. The beef tongue panino was super tender and tasted like beef tongue should. Great as an appetizer. One is too small to share, get two.

The wife had the agnolotti, very flavorful and packed with lamb neck meat. Like a very meaty pierogi. I had the famous porchetta chop, which is pork chop surrounded by pork belly. A bit of a fusion dish with Hong Kong style roasted pork belly and pork chops. But the pork chop was a bit dry. Both very filling and very satisfying dish for two.

For desert we had the cheesecake, which wasn't too heavy but definitely not light by any means. If you don't have a sweet tooth I suggest two can share this. The apple crostata is like apple pie but in a very thin and crispy crust, also in the heavy side due to the portion. Could have used more whipped cream or even served a la mode. Again, both deserts are big enough to share.

Overall fantastic service and food . Will...

i’ve been wanting to eat here for months after seeing a video about it online. this restaurant lives up to the hype 100% it is very expensive so it’s a bit of splurge but i think it’s well worth it. the portions are smaller and it is recommended to get a few things and share. i was with one other person and we ordered roasted oysters, pbj bombolone, polenta tortellini, agnolotti, ricotta gnudi, squid ink spaghetti, broccoli rabe, tiramisu gelato sundae and the dark chocolate panna cotta. we did not have one bad thing here! i think if i had to say to skip something it would definitely be dessert, it was good but everything else here was just so much better. the oysters had a little spice to them but nothing crazy, it wasn’t my favorite but my partner loved it (i also don’t love oysters). the tortellini was also the more anticlimactic dish of the night. at another restaurant it could have been the best thing all night but here there are better things. the pbj bombolone was one of the best bites of the night and you definitely cannot miss it! as for the pastas the squid ink was my least favorite but my partners favorite. there was a ton of crab in it but not enough sauce. the gnudi was my favorite thing of the night and one of the best pasta dishes i’ve ever had. the agnolotti was also extremely good. the agnolotti was very rich and hardy. the broccoli rabe was my last favorite of the night. it is drenched in almost a soup vinaigrette and it is absolutely amazing with the beans although the bean to broccoli rabe ratio is a little off, still you can’t skip it. lastly for the desserts they were both good but the panna cotta was a pudding not a panna cotta. the tiramisu sundae was the winner of the two and the biggest portion of the night. i would say to get one dessert and share if you want something sweet. as for service our waiter was extremely sweet and accommodating, she new exactly what to recommend and was very patient with us. the atmosphere of this restaurant is very cute and cozy inside and it didn’t feel too crowded which i liked. i can’t wait to...