Il Gattopardo — Restaurant in New York

Are you looking for a great Southern Italian food in a beautiful romantic setting. Look no farther than Il Gattopardo. It is located in The Rockefeller Townhouses. Built in 1897, the buildings were designed in the Beaux Arts Renaissance style. They were once owned by John D. Rockefeller who called them home for nearly forty years. The feel here is understated elegance. I think this is the perfect date restaurant. It is very romantic with tables set up individually on the steps of the various townhouses lit by candlelight. It was not stuffy or over done. We had martinis to start. They were good but served in Champagne glasses rather than martini glasses. I don't care but our friend pointed it out. We moved on to appetizers of veal meatballs and octopus. The meatballs were very well prepared, moist, tasty, not too large and disappeared quickly, enjoyed by all. I ordered the special risotto with vegetables and made with a rich pork broth. It was perhaps the best risotto I ever had, creamy and vibrant, and was a healthy portion. My sister had lobster ravioli which she enjoyed. She said it was creamy and she could actually taste the lobster pieces in the ravioli. It was also a healthy portion. Even though we were mostly stuffed, we ordered deserts- a limoncello sponge cake and a dark chocolate sponge cake with raspberry, which were satisfying and special and just the right size The waiter brought little almond cookies to end as an added little nosh as well. The service was friendly and attentive. The waiters kept the drinks flowing at the beginning but then let us relax and enjoy the beautiful NYC evening in a romantic, calm and sophisticated atmosphere. No rushing to get the next reservation in, just very relaxed, smooth, non intrusive service, very much like a night at a...

Il Gattopardo was a supreme let-down for us. Considering the multitude of options in NYC, we left the restaurant feeling like we made a mistake. Amongst a laundry list of complaints, here is what stands out to me:

The dishes showed no creativity and plating presentation was absent (my risotto literally looked like PRISON SLOP on a plate). The dishes lacked seasoning and the flavors for the most part matched the sloppy and crude presentation of the dishes. The bread served before the meal had almost no taste. Seemed like it wasn’t fresh, but could have just been bad quality for all I know. The server brought me the wrong wine (he corrected it without issue, but the mistake added even more time to the long wait between server visits). The front desk required my assistance in locating our checked coats after the meal (incredibly, they told us the coat numbers "get messed up sometimes"). While nervously waiting for them to find our coats after the meal, a large hostess literally pushed my wife out of the way to get through without using her voice or offering a simple "excuse me". The bar was not stocked with my first or second choice of after-dinner drink options despite them being on the menu. It was difficult to get service when needed, and the entire meal was incredibly slow. We sat at our table with menus for around 10-15 minutes before being greeted by our server. Wine was easily another 15 minutes before it hit the table.

One good thing: Despite the odd plating, the octopus appetizer was cooked perfectly - very tender, and the only thing I’d reorder if I somehow got dragged back to the lackluster basement that suitably houses this restaurant.

Frankly, I feel like submitting this place to Kitchen Nightmares so they can...

Simple, comfortable, understated elegance with really cool raffia chairs. Felt like a fancier version of our old family dinners in the basement at nonna's. Staff was all wonderful! Super polite and attentive. Our waitress was wonderful. It felt like talking to a friend who'd give you their honest opinion instead of someone trying to add to your bill. She spoke clearly and gave explanations of the dishes. While we were waiting for our dessert, she came by to say goodnight since her shift was over and ensured us her coworker would take care of us. We asked if we should pay before she left, but she said thank you that's not necessary since they are 'family and share all tips at the end of the day'! I am 100% convinced this is why absolutely everyone who works here is so amazingly polite and always smiling. Ok. So food.. We started with a mixed bread basket and olive oil for dipping and mini veal arancini. I have never been one to like arancinis or veal for that matter, but these were the perfect size and tasted amazing. For appetizers, we had the veal meatballs (again, not my choice but not an overpowering veal taste, so I was pleased) and the fried zucchini and smoked mozzarella. I ordered the couscous and seafood dish that was a bit heavy on the fishy taste and a bit too oily (my boyfriend agreed and he's not a picky eater). He went with the cannelloni with pork. AMAZING! Dessert was delizia del limone that he wasn't overly impressed with, two kinds of biscotti, and our usual double espressos. I was a little surprised by the lack of options on the food menu. Oh! And one of the drinks was pricier than some...