Il Mulino - Downtown (West 3rd) — Restaurant in New York

Il Mulino is one of the few restaurants that I thought would exemplify classic NY and classic Italian with an old school charm that I knew I would love - and yet, somehow, I never managed to get there - that is, until now, and now that I have, I have to admit, it was a bit of a let down.

As soon as I walked in, I did get the old school vibe I was looking for (definitely no renovations here in 30 years - in a good way), but the dining room is so cramped and crowded, with the tables so close together, that it is impossible to go to the restroom without asking several people to move in their chairs so you can get by (and then again when you want to get back to your seat).

Upon being seated, the wait staff, who was consistently polite and attentive throughout the without being intrusive, began bringing over several antipasti dishes (parmesan cheese and cured meats, breads, bruschetta with tomatoes and mussels, fried zucchini, and eggplant) while reciting the specials of the day. We chose two appetizers from the list of specials, two entrees (one from the main menu and one special) and one dessert. We also ordered a bottle of wine (expect to spend over $100, minimally, for anything decent. I paid $125 for a bottle that I have had in other NYC restaurants for $90).

Our first appetizer, a burrata, arrived on a bed of greens, drizzled in balsamic dressing, with roasted red peppers on the side. It was very good, but our second appetizer special, a truffled porcini ravioli in cream sauce, was spectacular. At the waiter's recommendation, we ordered the appetizer portion of the ravioli and split it between the two of us as an appetizer (appetizer portion had 6 ravioli while the entrée portion had 12). What he didn't mention, when listing the specials and making recommendations, was the prices. The burrata was over $25 and the ravioli came in at just under $60. I'm used to eating out, in NYC, and paying ridiculous prices for food, and shame on me for not asking, but that was a bit on the hefty side for what was being served.

Entrees were up next, and this is where the disappointment set in. We ordered the Castoletta alla Valdostana, which is usually one of my favorite dishes, from the main menu, and a lamb dish that was offered as one of the nightly specials. Both were disappointing. The veal was pounded exceptionally thin, with more breadcrumbs than meat, covered in a thin flavorless sauce and only traces of prosciutto and mozzarella could be found in the dish. We moved on to the lamb, which was equally disappointing. We only took a few bites before we had to abandon the overly salty, very dry, completely unappetizing piece of meat that was inexplicably on the plate in front of us. However, when the waiter came over, he simply cleared our plates and never bothered to ask why we had barely touched either one of our entrees.

Dessert was next, and rather than redeeming the meal and ending on a pleasant note, our tiramisu that tasted as if it was covered with Hershey's chocolate syrup, was just more disappointment on top of an already disappointing meal.

At the end of the night, when our bill came to over $500 with tax an tip, I was wondering why I hadn't left Il Mulino as part of my restaurant wish list rather than spend a lot of money on a...

I wrote this 10 years ago and it still holds true today:

In the incredibly competitive Manhattan Restaurant & Foodservice Industry, there is a beacon that shines far beyond the dark incestuous waters of the common modern-chic foodie-targeting “it” eating establishments that pop up and shut down quicker than a revolving door.

There is a place that has been catering to the seekers of old world charm and simple dishes prepared the same way for hundreds of years with the freshest best quality ingredients money can buy. This Zagat-rated Greenwich Village institution has been delighting local and international clientele alike for over 20 years.

Given the Zagat accolade and the relentless pursuit of perfection in the kitchen, it would be inconceivable that this restaurants success be due to anything else… but it is. These days, to be successful in any Industry, including this one, it requires more than simply quality ingredients and warm surroundings. It requires a tremendous amount of passion, dedication and above all, social customer devotion crowned with a limitless source of enthusiasm. All these traits are personified by on man: CLAUDIO.

Maitre D Claudio is the reason the tables are always full, reservations have to be booked weeks in advance and that people from around the world, including myself, flock to his establishment every time they are in town. His clientele doesn’t bother to look around for new dining venues to explore on nights that they feel the craving for old-world traditional Italian cuisine.

The family atmosphere warmth felt when walking through the door makes first time guests instantly look forward to their return visit. The tall welcoming Maitre D awaits with open arms greeting everyone by first name exchanging more than just pleasantries, remembering where guests are from and what they talked about during their previous visit. It is this amazing welcoming quasi-family aura that ensures patrons become lifetime return guests and spread the word to any friends and family...

This place was terrible. I don't know who they fooled/bribed to get a "fine dining" description. The place is very small and I was sat at a larger round table. However, because they jammed it in in the corner, it didn't leave much room between my chair and the bar table where someone was seated and a two-top by the window. Through the course of the meal, a waiter trying to get by without saying a word to me just started pushing my chair in while I'm seated on it to squeeze by. A few minutes later, the manager suggested I move to the chair over as one of our party ended up leaving early. That made sense so I obliged.

That other chair however is by the waiter station and not long passed before a waiter came by and said I was blocking him from accessing the drawer and asked me to move again. It was so simply ridiculous if they're not trying to jam all these cramped seats into one space, they wouldn't have this problem. How could you keep on asking a diner to move and move and move again? Then the rest of the night, the phone on that waiter station one foot away rang by my ear, constantly.

To add insult to injury, the food was so bad. The caesar salad was tasteless. The lettuce was not crisp or cold, the dressing had no flavor, no anchovy or egg to speak of, just bland. The croutons seemed stale. The kitchen made us another one and they sent another tasteless bowl right out. The pastas are not that good. The steak is so average.

The manager came out to say sorry his waiter had asked me to move again but he really did not make much of an effort. All this restaurant did was set up a table for a miserable dining experience.

This is not it,...