piano due

midtown, nyc

website

when jenny and i first walked into piano due, we saw a large U-shaped bar, crowded with regulars. some glanced up before looking back down at their drinks. most just ignored us. confused, jenny and i walked out and read the sign outside again. turns out, there's an elevator to the right of the bar that takes you up to the restaurant. the dining room is completely quiet, like you've stepped into another world and the cacophony of midtown melts away into the distance. jenny and i glance around, still feeling unsure and out of place. after a few minutes, a waiter finally greets us and shows us to our table.

white tablecloths. curtains on all the windows. smartly dressed waitstaff. huge list of italian wines. huge menu of italian entrees. dean martin singing in the background. i have no idea how old this restaurant is, but it felt like an old-school new york italian restaurant. the friendly waiter graciously recommended a reasonably priced bottle of red wine. service was very attentive. and the food was classic italian done very well. derek and jenny had amazing pasta dishes. i ordered the raviolo d'imola - soft egg yolk raviolo with ricotta and spinach, topped with black truffle butter. it was so rich that i could only finish one of the two, but delicious all the same. this is definitely the spot to go to if you're looking for a real new york restaurant experience.