Uva — Restaurant in New York

This restaurant is very finicky, granted they follow a supposed 100-200 year old style of food, having simple modifications seem to be to much to ask for here. There very difficult about modifying dishes, I asked if the marinara pizza can have cheese added to it, this was an issue via for the chef, I then asked if I can have the margarita instead and if they could add the crushed garlic they use in the marinara pasta this was also an issue for the chef, I also ordered a pasta, originally I wanted a simple tomato pasta with gnocchi chef could not produce this option, they rather stick to what you see as is, I ordered the fiussile pasta with chicken added, they can only make modifications that add more to the check I’m guessing, but for the amount of money I’m about to spend in this place they should be more than accommodating, Im an amazing cook, I could just cook at home, people come to restaurants to get a little more of an elevated experience than what they want to spend time doing at home, it’s a shame, the food is great but there’s something’s that can be better, I ordered the grilled octopus , the only thing good about it was the octopus but the sides paired with it was not a match and was a little to sweet to pair with, I also order shrimp skewers, shrimps are the highlight but again vegetables are just there to fill the plate couldn’t finish them and Italian cuisine is know to have the most simple and amazing vegetable accommodations, I’m guessing they also have high turn over this is the second time I ate at this restaurant, my first time the server I had made more magic happen as far as modifications, but it seems like every server has to go back to make sure things can be done. Which shows inconsistency. Would I come back after this I doubt it, the food is good but I’ve had way better experiences in many other Italian restaurants which is one of my favorite styles of cuisine. So I know what to expect dealing with Italian food. Btw I work in the industry as well so my experience here comes from a professional stand point and it is not intended to bagger the restaurant only to improve it, it has great potential and they seem to know how to hire the right people to hide away the flaws because service is great. But accommodations and modifications should be implemented and policy should be revisited, there are many people nowadays who have restrictions and allergies that should also be taken into consideration. It is important to write this review because food is way over priced so if I’m paying simple modifications should be reasonable, all I was told was that the chef refuse to make changes requested and that this is how he does it. I can tell he’s rude based off my servers timid response. I do want to say my server is not only adorable and distracting but amazing at creating that vibe of making you important, great job to him, I never got his name but he...

I have been a regular of UVA for about five years, and of UVA Next Door as soon as it opened. I typically always order the Pappardelle al Ragu di Vitello. The homemade ribbons of pasta is offered with a hearty and meaty sauce which has been lovingly cooked over clearly many hours. This Secondi, which eats like a complete meal, deserves its place as a mainstay among pastas in the Upper East Side. I decided to finally try the Meatball Monday, which has been advertised, and sadly found myself disappointed. As an appetizer I ordered the Vitello. The presentation of the dish immediately caught me off guard. The brownish-red stewed sauce and ice cream scoop of polenta, with the meatballs on top had no fresh garnish or color at all, it came in a tiny metal tray, which was not large enough to easily navigate all of the elements of the dish, which all felt a bit uninviting. The sauce was quite good, a nice herbal flavor paired well with the fresh mushrooms which were cut in generously-sized pieces to add some texture to the sauce. The plain polenta was nice with the rich sauce, it had a good bit of grit to it while having an overall soft bite. The meatballs, I will only write about once here as to not be redundant later - the meatballs have lost a lost of flavor and moisture in the reheating process. In each dish, the meatballs have been reheated and never been partially cooked in the sauce, and became bland and dry. The Spaghetti was my main, it had a lovely tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes perfectly cooked to maintain the integreity of some very small pieces of tomato, although I found the sauce a touch too acidic. I will not mention the meatballs again, as they were prepared in the same fashion as the veal meatball appetizer. Please see above for that critique. I ordered La Palma di Gelato for my dessert. The apples were lightly coated and fried in zeppole style batter, which gave a fun crunch as almost pie-like experience with each bite. I also enjoyed the gelato, I always enjoy a gelato that actually tastes like milk rather than just refined sugar. The dessert bread that the gelato came in was not my favorite - it was dry and made me wonder whether it had just been over-toasted or was not made the same day. I felt the dessert could have been lovely with just the apples and gelato. In future, I will skip the meatball Mondays menu, and I will stick to the same order that I have been enjoying for...

I recently visited Uva on a Friday evening with friends. Having had a great experience here before, I was excited to recommend it to them. Unfortunately, this visit fell short of expectations. We had a reservation and were squeezed into a two-person table (party of four, anyone?) which wasn't ideal, but hey, we're flexible people and rolled with it since the place was busy. We started with appetizers—the vegetarian platter and bruschetta—which were both delicious. The Gavi white wine we chose was the perfect partner in crime for these starters. For the main course, we ordered three Melanzane alla Parmigiana and one Polenta. These dishes were good, though nothing exceptional. The real disappointment, however, came with the service. From the moment we finished our main course, we felt rushed. Instead of being asked if we'd like dessert, we were immediately offered the check. When we decided to order dessert—a tiramisu and an apple tart with ice cream—things only got worse. Within minutes of being served, three different bus boys came by repeatedly, asking if we were done. This happened four times in just five minutes. To make matters worse, the check was brought to us unprompted while we were still eating, interrupting our evening further as my friends had planned to order espressos. When we brought this up to our waitress while paying, she explained that it was due to management's instructions and offered to have the manager, Giacomo, speak with us. Plot twist: Giacomo ghosted us! This kind of standoffish behavior from management was disappointing - apparently, addressing customer concerns isn't on their rushed menu! Look, I enjoyed this place's food, but being treated like we're in a dinner-themed escape room isn't my idea of a pleasant evening out. If there's a time limit on tables, just tell us - we're adults, we can handle it! Until they figure out that good service means more than just rapid plate clearing, my friends and I will be taking our appetites elsewhere.

The Bottom Line:

Food: Pretty good Wine: Even better Service: More rushed than a packed 6 train during NYC rush hour ;-) Manager's response:...