Elio's — Restaurant in New York

Very unhappy experience at Elio’s tonight. For starters, the restaurant was very noisy. After we were seated, waiter asked about water choice. I noted my glass was dirty with food residue, and it was replaced. He brought us menus, then proceeded to tell us about specials, telling us only about one (calves liver) and a bean salad. He also left a computer-printed wine list on the table, face down, never mentioning that it was the wine list by the bottle or that there were wines by the glass.

After about ten minutes, during which I tried , without success, to flag down any personnel, another waiter stopped to ask if we wanted wine. We ordered 2 glasses of montepulciano, without asking the price, and ordered our mains. I ordered a broccoli rabe pasta, asked if it had sausage in it, and was told yes.

The table next to us turned over, and the couple seated were told abut at least 2 specials not mentioned, a fish and a pork chop. We asked for a lettuce salad and were told that they didn’t have one, but I see on the online menu that they do have a lettuce salad. Another table was served a caprese salad, which was not on the menu and about which we didn’t hear.

After we received the chopped salad ( on the menu but nothing to write home about) the waiter returned to say that the dish I ordered did not have sausage in it. I said fine.

My dish was Ok, a bit bland. My wife’s pasta was fine. We did not order desert, and got the check. I was charged for sausage with my main, but worse, we had an $80 liquor bill for the 2 glasses of wine. The manager said the waiter had made a mistake about the sausage; when I asked about the wine he said the waiter had made a mistake and charged us for 3 glasses. When I asked the price per glass, he said $24 (a bit high compared to the $19 we had paid at UVA, a less pricey neighborhood Italian place we had visited 2 nights ago) but not outrageous. That would have been $72, not $80.

No apologies at all. We have been here many times before, but I have read that regulars get great service, others not so great. We are a professional couple in our 70’s, well-dressed and world travelers. I have never had an experience like this at a restaurant that presents itself as serving classical...

I NEVER give reviews or complain even when it's the worst experience but last night was exceptionally bad so I feel obligated. The bartender on Tuesday 8/29/17 was horrific. My friend and I, both 30 year old young professionals, sat at the bar and were greeted by the bartender so rudely. My mind is honestly still blown by the whole thing. He spoke to us the entire time like we did not belong there. We ordered two glasses of Sauvignon blanc, he gave us two glasses of Chardonnay. My friend and I are both born and raised In the Hamptons, both have managed and bartended at restaurants for yearssss. We know how hospitality and dining works. When we tried several times to get his attention to question the wine he kept telling us "hold on girls " in the most condescending way. Finally he came to us "to tell us the specials" - we never wanted to know specials. When I questioned the wine he slammed the Chardonnay bottle on the bar to show me.... yes, exactly... we didn't order Chardonnay. When we said we were going to leave he got even more of an attitude and started telling us that he has been doing this for years and there are 1,000 other people in the dining room that also needed help. There was definitely not 1,000 people in the dining room. Its also funny that he could still find the time to talk to other people at the bar and people who were exiting the restaurant, but not us, all of them appeared to have a lot of money.... point taken. He also made a comment along the lines of "no wonder you don't have diamonds on your fingers." Really?? I wanted to love this place as I just moved around the corner but I will never ever go back. My only advice is If you choose to, don't...

Elio’s: Where the Chicken Parm Is a Religious Experience (Even Though It’s a Secret)

Walking into Elio’s feels like being cast as an extra in a Martin Scorsese film where everyone’s attractive, slightly mysterious, and possibly knows a guy who “knows a guy.” The waiters wear jackets, the regulars wear confidence, and you? You just hope you’re worthy of the menu that doesn’t even list the best thing they make.

Let’s talk about the chicken parm—the chicken parm. The off-menu legend. You have to know to ask. It’s not printed. It’s whispered. Like a culinary speakeasy item. You say “I’ll have the chicken parm,” and they give you a little nod, like you just passed a secret handshake test. Then it arrives, and suddenly you understand how people end up writing sonnets about poultry.

This dish is so good it deserves its own HBO mini-series. The chicken is perfectly crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside—like it trained at Juilliard and has incredible emotional range. The sauce? A tomato symphony that probably has ancestors in Naples. And the cheese... oh, the cheese. Melted with the kind of precision that makes you believe in destiny.

The rest of Elio’s? Classy chaos. It's a place where power-lunchers, Upper East Side lifers, and confused-but-happy tourists mingle under dim lighting and the vague aroma of immortality. The martinis are cold, the pasta is hot, and the vibe is exactly right—if "right" means “I just saw a guy order in fluent Italian and now I want to change my entire personality.”

Five stars. Ten if we’re counting emotional satisfaction. Elio’s, I love you. Never change. And never take that chicken parm off the...