Scarpetta

I guess Scarpetta NY’s fame has gradually died down, especially after Scott Conant abandoned this darling of a restaurant. And I guess that’s why this place participated in NY restaurant week.
Food was great. The bread basket was warm (restaurants — why is this so hard?) and had such great variety. My appetizer of chestnut soup was rich and creamy, but the diced vegetables in my opinion didn’t need to be so tart. Entrée of branzino was a success — crispy skin, big flavor, and well-​cooked side vegetables. I had a taste of the spaghetti too. No way this is the best spaghetti I’ve had, but the strong flavor of basil floored me. Big shoutout to the pastry chef — all dessert dishes have good balance, incorporating fruits and playing with textures.
Service was delightful, although I wasn’t sure why we were seated in the outer room which seems to be a bar area that’s reserved for walk-​ins. The dining room inside seemed cozy and I was jealous.

Food Grade: 90%
This review is only for the hyped spaghetti.
$ 26 for a spun al dente home-​made spaghetti with a garlicky, deep and tangy tomato basil sauce. Did it live up to the hype? Mostly yes. There’s something about it that makes me want to eat more. It’s true that someone somewhere at home can remake this sauce and probably make their own pasta that rivals Conant’s. But I can’t. So I will eat this again and again.
It’s not overpowering and the flavors may be somewhat subdued but that’s not necessarily bad. The initial taste starts savory with the highlights of the tomato. Then as the sauce spreads throughout your tongue, the hint of tanginess cuts through the sharpness of the garlic and you end up with a double sting. Then comes the saltiness that rounds the flavors together. While it might seem from the description that the dish is an assault to the palate, it really isn’t. The amount of control over the ingredients shines through resulting in a flavorful yet ironically one-​tone dish.
I wish it was a larger portion. It was definitely a tease.
Excellent job Scarpetta.
Ambience: 85%
Service: 95%
Very attentive and accommodating service despite the fact that we probably looked like we didn’t belong in that kind of establishment. Awesome.
Price: Undefined
Can you really put a score on this? Try the dish once. If it’s not your thing, then at least you’ve experienced it. This dish is definitely not going to please everyone, but for pasta lovers the simplicity will put a smile on your face.

Our evening at Scarpetta started out terribly — we had a reservation for 8:00 pm, but didn’t get seated until 8:45 pm. Our completed party waited very patiently, only asking for an update once every 10 – 15 minutes and doing so politely. The host/​hostesses up front were incredibly rude, showing us attitude even though we were being firm, but polite. At least twice, they were actively rude to us, rolling their eyes and being unhelpful on the whole. We were not happy.
40 minutes into our wait, our displeasure must have shown, because the manager came over and gave us free drinks, accommodating those of us who don’t drink by kindly making us virgin drinks. We were seated 45 minutes later and everyone we interacted with after the initial host/​hostesses were gracious and falling over themselves to better our experience.
The food itself was incredible. To begin, the bread — particularly the foccacia — from the complimentary bread basket was incredible. Our party almost filled up on the bread immediately, it was so good. Two of our party didn’t eat pork and the server kindly gave us bread without the pork, upon request. The manager also gave us a complimentary roasted root vegetable salad for our wait, which was delicious and unanimously loved by everyone at the table.
I ordered from the restaurant week menu, choosing the mushroom polenta, spaghetti, and chocolate cake with sea salt caramel gelato. I’m not a huge fan of polenta, but this polenta was smooth, creamy, and decadent. The mushrooms and glaze were absolutely delicious and I had no problem with the texture. The spaghetti I was hesitant about to begin with — everyone’s been raving about it, but how good could spaghetti really be? I was, delightfully, proven wrong. Spaghetti really can be that good — it was rich, tart, flavorful, and got better with every bite. I did not regret getting it in the least; the rave reviews are really, truly deserved. The chocolate cake with sea salt caramel gelato was the perfect end — the gelato by itself would have been too salty and the chocolate cake by itself would have been too dense, but together they balanced each other remarkably. A spoonful of both the cake and gelato were honestly to die for. My friends got the olive oil cake with blood orange sorbet, which I tried, and that dessert too was incredible.
We each ended up spending about $ 50, with tip, for the meal and while I do not go out of my way to spend that much on a meal, I can say with certainty that — disaster on the front end and all — the meal was worth every penny.
It is a testament to the food and the manager and server’s generosity and graciousness that each member of my party said unanimously we would come back, even though the host and hostesses up front had been so unacceptably rude. I will eagerly be back… once I can afford to again.

What an absolutely divine experience at Scarpetta for our Restaurant Week dinner. Everything from the perfectly warm bread to the dessert created an irreplaceably, heartwarming experience.
I am an avid fan of the bread that a restaurant provides at the start of the meal and this was not your usual start. A wonderful assortment of warm, soft bread accompanied by three great dipping sauces were gracefully explained and presented. The eggplant purée was the perfect addition to any of their breads. We had to ask for a second round.
I ordered the branzino, which was cooked with absolute care from the crunchy, tasteful skin of the fish to a moist, flavorful meat. A fantastic tomato sautee of brussel sprouts and onions came below the branzino, adding even more flavor to the dish. Generous portions were provided for all entrees, but we were left sitting wanting so much more.
I can not begin to describe the heavenly experience of the chocolate cake. An orgasmic creation of a decadent, perfectly cooked, warm chocolate cake with a stunning presentation and well balanced accompaniment of gelato and chocolate crisp. Wish this was the end to all of meals.
Can not wait to relive this experience another time soon. The Restaurant Week deal was phenomenal for the experience as is, but an additional «$ 20 off $ 100 spent Amex promotion at Scarpetta» made the total far lower than what I would have paid for the meal.

Great spot for couples date night. Food was seasoned and flavorful, lovely presentation and pretty attentive staff. The bread right at the beginning… Nothing boring about that basket! First course, Stracciatella, a creamy cheese and vegetable plate. Vinaigrette added nice acidity. Just the right amount of salt. All together a solid, light first course. Second, Branzino, my favorite fish. Masterfully cooked with crispy skin. Enough said. I should mention I tried my husbands spaghetti and yes, it’s on the money too. Finally, Coconut Pana Cotta… Quoting my girlfriend, reminds me of summer! That dessert took us out of our blizzard hangovers and into sunny paradise.
Glad we spotted this place on Opentable for restaurant week and this won’t be my last. Next girls night I’m thinking eating here followed by bottle service up the road! See you all soon Scarpetta.

Came here for restaurant week and had a great time. Showed up on time for my reservation but the sign for the restaurant was hard to see, I passed it.
Service was wonderful. Everyone was very attentive and my water glass was always full. Sat at the bar briefly and tried the prosecco and lager.
Dinner was served quickly and I was in and out in an hour. This may be good or bad for some. But I liked it since I had somewhere to be afterwards.
My favorite dish of the night was the polenta and the best panna cota I’ve had in a long time.
I totally recommend it for date night!

Came for Restaurant Week winter 2016. Amazing place! I tried the creamy polenta with truffled mushrooms, stracciatella with vegetables, yellowtail, spaghetti (duh), Nutella mousse and valrhona chocolate cake. Standouts were the polenta, spaghetti and chocolate cake, if you’re trying to decide. Everything was impeccably prepared and tasted delicious. The staff is great and the manager kept checking to see how our meal was going. Would love to return!

Overall, this was a good dining experience but I would give this place closer to 3.5 stars. I came here with three of my friends for a farewell dinner. The atmosphere was nice but seemed a bit crowded especially with the bar full of people for happy hour.
We started with the creamy polenta which was very delicious but a little on the heavier side and tasted very buttery. For the maincourse, I had the branzino which was cooked very nicely but too salty I had to flush down the saltiness with wine. My friends had the spaghetti which we agreed was the best dish of the night, cooked to perfection and seasoned simply yet completely. My other friend had the beef agnolotti which was also on the heavier side but cooked nicely.
I would definitely come back for the spaghetti but would try some of the different pasta dishes and mains.

What a great dining experience. The food on its own was absolutely spectacular. I highly recommend the creamy polenta — they give you an option to add shaved truffles for $ 25, I suggest you do so as it makes the dish go from delicious to speechless.
They have a really great wine selection and the service is really on point. All around have no complaints — it is definitely on the pricier side.

What can I say about this place. Great ambience. Great food. The complimentary assortment of bread. pane ripieno (stuffed bread), focaccia were great. Charred Octopus was grilled perfectly, the famous Spaghetti had a simple basil: pomodoro sauce, fresh and light. The Espresso Budino was a great finishing dessert. It was difficult to not finish anything and everything. It All made for an amazing meal/​experience. Highly recommend Scarpetta.
(Only disappointment was, the hottest pepper/​condiment was pepper flakes… common Scott you’re half ‘southern’ Italian, man!)

The bread basket is by far the best bread selection ever. Seriously, if you’re a bread lover you have to eat here. I mean what other restaurant starts you off with Stromboli? And yes you can even ask for extra, but don’t expect to be given a lot extra. The bread alone semi justifies Scarpetta’s high prices.
On every visit, I always order the spaghetti and my boyfriend gets the black farfalle. You would think spaghetti with tomato sauce is such a basic dish that it’s not worth ordering at a restaurant. But Scott Conat’s spaghetti is famous for good reason. His spaghetti isn’t your ordinary spaghetti that you can make at home. In fact, I wish I can make this at home and save myself $ 24 — a girl can dream right? The black farfalle is great for squid ink pasta lovers. My boyfriend’s not a huge fan of Italian food, but he always compares the new Italian restaurants we try to Scarpetta. That’s how much he loves that dish.
If you wish to order an appetizer, the polenta popular as well and worth trying. I ordered it once, but I haven’t really found myself craving it to order it again.
Make sure you make reservations! Your bread journey awaits.

Long before I dined here for the first time, I fell in love with Scott Conant’s famous Tomato Sauce after seeing the recipe in a magazine and giving it a shot at home. I was so intrigued by the technique he uses, which is carefully thought out, and yet so simple. The result was an incredibly flavorful sauce that in one word could be described as luxurious. How many sauces can you say that about? I knew that I would love Scarpetta before I even stepped foot in the door.
When I finally went it was for Restaurant Week. I always appreciate when a Restaurant Week menu actually features standard menu items, which was the case here. Even better was the fact that despite how busy the restaurant was, the quality of the food and the service did not suffer in the slightest. To me that says a lot about a dining establishment.
I would describe the décor at Scarpetta as slightly modern with a polished elegance. Our server was fantastic — warm, knowledgeable and attentive. To start they gave us a lovely assortment of fresh breads and delicious spreads to go with them. The highlight for me was the one with prosciutto and cheese baked into the dough. If it was on the menu I would order it.
I tried the Creamy Polenta, the famed Spaghetti, and the Valrhona Chocolate Cake for dessert. It was easily one of the best meals I have had. The hallmark of Italian cuisine is the simplicity of it; quality over quantity. That comes through in every one of these dishes. Nothing is overdone, which allows for perfect balance and the complexity of the flavors to really come through. I’ll echo my same sentiments from earlier, there is a luxurious quality to this food, that leaves you feeling wonderfully satisfied. It’s definitely one of my favorite upscale Italian restaurants here in New York.

This place is f — — - amazing. I should just end my review here. But as a Unilocaler I will tell you the food journey I went on because it was unbelievable. A fatass journey at the very least… because Scarpetta left me speechless. I wish I lived next door that is how much love I have for this place.
Let me start by saying this place is dark and I almost tripped over my own foot if not for the dim lights to guide my way. But I digress because the food gave me a foodgasm. If that is a word, if not it should be.
This is the fatass list my girlfriend and I had:
(Served complimentary of the Scarpetta: Bread Basket with stromboli and Focaccia Bread w/​three dipping sauces: Eggplant Marinara (AMAZING), Citrus Olive Oil, Butter)
Braised Short Ribs w/​vegetable & farro risotto (Portion is small but short ribs were extremely tender and compliments the risotto really well)
Creamy Polenta w/​fricassee of truffled mushrooms (Silky and smooth is the best way to describe this dish as the polenta is filled with flavor and the truffled mushrooms accentuates the dish.)
Short Rib & Bone Marrow Agnolotti w/​garlic chip & horseradish (By far the winner of the night as it had a crunch from the garlic chips only to get hit with the succulent taste of the short rib and bone marrow all warp up. This left me speechless and I almost did not want to finish it.)
Duck & Foie Gras Ravioli w/​marsala reduction (Creamy and just delightful. The dish is on the heavy side due to the Foie Gras but it just fits so well and a great lead to the entrees)
Veal Tenderloin w/​sweetbreads, root vegetables & gnocchi alla romana (Soft and tender when cooked to medium rare. I could not ask for a better entrée well unless they gave me two of these dishes)
Limoncello Semifreddo w/​pistachio cake, macerated berries & basil-​blackberry sorbet (Amazing and beautiful. Each one of the components are there to compliment the other and is meant to be eaten together. Hitting every single dessert note on my tongue)
Valrhona Chocolate Cake w/​chocolate, butterscotch & caramel gelato (Sweet and bitter at the same time which left a great sensation considering we got this will the Limoncello. Layer after layer of flavor hit my tongue and I could not end this journey any other way)
My girlfriend brought me to this place for my birthday and it was magical. I better up the ante at her birthday.
Recommendation:
Check out my list

Nothing short of Amazing! My husband made a reservation here for my birthday dinner, on a Monday night, which I thought couldn’t be too busy — but boy was I wrong! Although they had a full house, we were seated immediately at a quaint corner table, with our coats conveniently checked by the very sweet reception staff.
Our waitress was attentive and the service was great… The food was beyond better! From the stuffed bread w/​eggplant tapenade, to the beet salad (best I’ve had in NYC), to the freshly made pasta dishes, all the way to the espresso dessert w/​hazelnut gelato & crisp chocolate biscotti! This was honestly, one of the most incredible meals I’ve ever had, at such a well maintained and accommodating establishment that made a birthday dinner feel absolutely perfect and special.
Lastly, they’re right by Chelsea Market too, so we’ll definitely stroll on back! Thanks Scarpetta, for the lovely experience.

Pretty gosh darn amazing, just shy of being a five-​star restaurant. The food for the most part was good, the dessert was a miss, the portions were a tad on the tiny side. Service was impeccable.
Let me start with the wine, I had a great glass of Chianti and I’m always impressed when a restaurant has good Chianti, which can be hard to find outside of Italy. We ordered the braised short ribs appetizer, which was delicious! I had their famous spaghetti, which was good, but not blow-​your-​mind good. Had a taste of my friend’s short rib and bone marrow agnolotti, which was creamy and delicious. The coconut panna cotta was a miss — they’re not kidding when they say it’s served in a guava soup, while it sounds amazing on paper, it didn’t translate well on the actual plate. It felt like I was eating something very gelatinous… not what you want for dessert.
Great attention to detail, we were waited on attentively, not just by our server but the bus boy as well. Décor and ambiance is dark and romantic, this is a great spot to catch up with an old friend or bring a date. And here’s an important tip if you’re like me and can’t find the place, there’s no sign outside, not that I saw anyway — look for a white brick façade that says 355 on it, it’s next to the really loud (as in colorful) diner next door on the corner.

This place blew my mind with their service, you don’t have to ask for anything, the servers are always on top of everything! Best service ever and I mean that.
The food was excellent as well, most notably the braised short ribs and duck/​foie gras ravioli.
The braised short ribs was so tender, melt in your mouth with every bite. I could eat 2 or 3 orders of that. The duck and foie gras ravioli was the other highlight of the night, rich and creamy, hint of sweetness, yum!
Now the famous spaghetti, I’m sad that I didn’t like as much as my friends did. I love spaghetti, was super excited about it. Yes, it was perfectly cooked, the pasta and the sauce, it was good spaghetti, but didn’t get the same satisfying feeling as the short ribs. I wanted to like the grilled octopus because I’m a huge octopus lover, but it was just alright, wasn’t as tender as I would have liked.
I am definitely a big fan.
Tip: the sign for the restaurant is tiny (yellowish color), can be easily missed. Restrooms are downstairs and the sink is shared betweent the men and women’s restrooms. First for me!

I’ve been wanting to try Scarpetta for over a year and finally had a good special occasion to celebrate. My boyfriend and I got a nice table in the front of the restaurant looking out to 14^th st. Very cozy.
So the bread basket alone is enough for me to come back! Tasty slices of something similar to Stromboli or my moms pepperoni bread along with focaccia and rolls served with a great trio of butter, pepper/​tomato spread and olive oil to dip. Seriously a carb lovers dream. Yum!
For apps we got the short ribs over risotto and fritto misto. Short rib was so tender, as was the calamari in the fritto. I also appreciated how the fritto misto was perfectly salted.
Entrees we had an order of the famous spaghetti and duck foie gras ravioli. Wow these were both amazing! Clean plate club here.
For dessert we shared the chocolate cake with salted Carmel gelato, this was also delectable.
The service was impeccable and highly attentive. Scarpetta met and exceeded my expectations, can’t wait to come back!

Divine.
Came here for a work dinner and we were able to try almost everything. Where do I start?
I would have to say my favorite was the braised short ribs and the short ribs and bone marrow agnolotti! I usually would not even think about ordering short ribs because I don’t eat too much beef but both of those dishes made my taste buds tingle!
The famous spaghetti met my expectations. That’s also something I wouldn’t get elsewhere because it’s just spaghetti. BUT THIS was creamy, flavored perfectly, and made me want more.
We also tried a pasta dish with black and white truffles. Just the right amount of truffle zing, it couldn’t get better!
Everything we got for dessert was perfect. There was a basil raspberry sorbet that blew my mind. I would definitely buy that at a supermarket if they ever sold it!
Recommended for a really fancy dinner, date, or outing. But be prepared to break your wallet; it’s totally worth it.

This place is great! I booked the day before and had to move the reservation from 9 to 9:30. Although they close at 10:30 officially, there’s a lot of guests even then so be sure to book in advance! It’s one of those pretty dim & nice, fine restaurants, so I advise dressing up.
The scallops were delicious! My friends and I loved it a lot. The only bad part is that there are only 2 scallops for $ 21. Spaghetti ($ 24) was also delicious! I just had to try it after reading the reviews on here. My friends and I agreed that it was refreshing. The halibut ($ 37) was a bit salty, but cooked well. The outer edge was crispy and delicious. I wasn’t a huge fan of the duck froie gras ravioli ($ 20 something) but my friends loved it. I guess it’s a hit or miss depending on your taste buds. The taste reminds of chinese sausages but with a mushy texture inside.
Service was quite good. Unfortunate part was that they ran out of coconut panna cotta and that was the only dessert we really wanted to try. It’s definitely a place worth checking out. Even though it is on the pricier side, the quality and taste are worth it!

Wow. I had certainly heard positive things about Scott Conant’s Scarpetta, but was even more blown away after trying it myself.
I made a reservation for 7 people at 7:30 during restaurant week, but we were running about 10 minutes behind. I called to inform them and they said no problem.
We arrived and our table wasn’t quite ready so we each had a cocktail at the bar while we waited. We had come from work (after traveling in that morning) and was pleased they were able to accommodate a few pieces of luggage in their coat room with no problem.
The bartender was friendly, efficient, and generally happy to serve. I had the rosé and it was one of the best I’ve had. My colleagues had cocktails and thought they were all divine.
We were seated a few minutes later, and a server generously took our drinks on a tray so we didn’t have to carry them to our table. Um, I guess I’m not that fancy so this is new for me but that was amazing.
Upon sitting our waitress promptly informed us about each menu and had a very friendly and approachable vibe. I started with the polenta, which may have been one of the most delicious bites I’ve had in a long time. The polenta was super rich and creamy and the mushrooms added the meaty texture and umami flavors. A+ on that!
I followed that with the spaghetti. I had heard that this was the best plate of pasta in NYC, but honestly my hopes weren’t that high. I’m not really a pasta person so it definitely wouldn’t change my life. Boy was I wrong! I’m not sure what they do in the kitchen, but the pasta was al dente, the sauce was creamy, and the basil added the perfect hint of freshness. Yuuummmm
I finished the meal with the coconut panna cotta based on a recommendation I had seen online. I typically would’ve gone with one of the chocolate or more traditionally decadent options, but this was absolutely fantastic! The panna cotta was perfectly creamy and coconutty and the little cookie added the necessary crunch.
Service was top notch. When meals arrived, the servers were coordinated to carry all the plates to the table at the same time and then remove the «lids» all at once. Again, maybe this is ‘normal’ for some, but I was certainly impressed.
I am already planning my next visit to Scarpetta!!!