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New York City's Most Romantic Restaurants

Scalinatella Restaurant

A subterranean Upper East Side trattoria where the food is stellar, the prices are steep and everyone is treated like a VIP.

Prompt seating - yes
Make reservations - yes

Food

(9)

Ambience

(8)

Service

(8)

Value

(7)

The Scene

Regulars sneak down an unassuming stairway into this cavernous, brick-wrapped room for a distinguished dose of la dolce vita. European jetsetters exchange air kisses at the tiny bar, gregarious groups pass oversized antipasto platters and couples retreat to elegant candlelit corner tables. The mood is formal yet fun: Suited waiters toss pastas tableside while playfully flirting with every woman in sight.

The Food

For more than a decade, Scalinatella has been famous for two things: superlative traditional Italian cooking, and a colorful cast of deep-pocketed devotees who can afford it. Order like a regular, skipping the short, pedestrian menu in favor of recited signature specials: exquisitely grilled balsamic-garlic "scotta dita" lamb, and gargantuan, tender veal chops slathered with porcini are worth the trip alone. Pastas and fish are exemplary: Light ragu-tossed tagliatelle, delicate ricotta ravioli and roasted Dover sole couldn't be more delicious. Only the bland polenta and carrot-broccoli melange accompanying each entree seem uninspired.

Watch Your Wallet

Ask for prices when specials are described: Fish can surpass $40, and if you even raise an eyebrow when seasonal ingredients, like fresh porcini mushrooms, are mentioned, they'll be added (along with $10 extra dollars) to your order.

Got a Craving?

If nothing on the menu strikes your fancy, ask for something that does. If all the necessary ingredients are on hand, the kitchen will finesse them into a meal.

The Wine List

Think high-dollar, northern Italian and California reds. Of the handful under $60, the best is a rich, ruby red Rosso di Montalcino "Poggione" ($55). Glasses are available: Try the Torcolato, a luscious late harvest dessert wine from the Veneto.

201 E 61st St
New York, NY 10021-8237
Phone: (212) 207-8280