Bar Milano

I understand that they’re closed, but man, what a scene.
Inoteca should be better!

They are closed and turning into an ‘inoteca.
I am so happy!!! Stay tuned for that review.

bar milano is super underrated i feel. the interior is super sleek and the food is pretty damn good! i was just here for brunch again, and i still love it. it is really relaxing and the wait staff is nice/​not snotty. they definitely know their wines!
at night it gets lots of people inside, why not during the day?
i don’t understand why brunch is never packed. i am kind of happy it’s still under the radar because its new, and because i like that i can come sunday afternoon with 6 of my friends and get a table right away.
reccomendation — the *yoghurt* is outstanding.

Bar Milano is a recent newcomer to the Murray Hill area. The chefs hail from such renown Italian trendsetters as Lupa and ‘inoteca. The space is a fabulous blend of classy cherrywood, marble-​paneled walls, and interesting light fixtures. You will be in awe of by the atmosphere, one so enticing it could draw you in from across the street. A weeknight evening provides an intimate atmosphere great for a date or a business dinner. The clientele is well-​dressed and professional.
The service is extremely accommodating, as well. While awaiting my friend’s arrival, the hostess continued her attempt to make me comfortable, but offering a seat at the bar, a place to check my coat, and even a seat at my table (which few NYC restaurants allow without a full party). Our waiter also offered his recommendations and allowed us to linger in the packed dining room for more than a half hour after the bill was paid.
My friend and I were also quite pleased by the food. We started our meal with some delicious whole wheat focaccia bread topped with sea salt. Normally I do not like focaccia, but this was extremely moist and less greasy than most. I also loved the fact that they put a modern, healthy spin on this classic Italian bread. We took a note from our waiter and decided to sample the Patata Imbottita appetizer, which consisted of a potato pancake topped with egg, caviar, and fontina cheese. The potato was plated alongside some lightly dressed field greens. The cheese and caviar added a salty topping to this delicious earthy tower.
When it came to our main courses, the waiter stated that they have really become known for their interesting entrees, even more so than their pastas. We kept that tidbit in mind as we settled on the Trout and Cod entrees. My Merluzzo con Zucca was a tender piece of codfish topped with crisp winter squash and leeks, all festively wading in a light clam broth. The dish was full of balanced fall flavors. My friend’s Trota con Farrotto consisted of a slightly dryer piece of trout draped over a farro and mushroom mixture. While his fish was enjoyable, we both agreed that mine was better constructed and more imaginative. However, both still inclined us to make a return trip at some point.
One thing to note is that the affordable prices do not come without some compensation. Unfortunately, the portions are slightly on the small side, so I would recommend ordering an appetizer.
All in all, Bar Milano makes for an upscale, yet comfortable meal that I recommend experiencing.

I’m giving Bar Milano 3 stars based solely on their amazing cocktails. We waited at the bar for about 10 min for our table. The bartender was great and the drinks were even better. I forget the name of mine but I started w/​a grapefruit/​vodka-​ey concoction and I could have had 5 easily. I had a dirty martini with dinner which was great too.
The food on the other hand was just kind of blah. Both of us got pasta dishes, mine had mushrooms and his was bolognese and they were tiny and pretty flavorless. I’m glad I tried it, but I don’t think I’ll be back.

Went here for brunch on a Saturday, and had a wonderful experience. My husband and I sat in the bar area, and the atmopshere was great, with the sun streaming through the windows.
They started us off with a generous basket of a salty focaccia and olive oil, and we had some nicely-​made mimosas. I went for the egg, fontina and tomato panino, and it was delicious — crispy, not too greasy, and I love fontina so it was pretty much the perfect breakfast sandwich. He had scrambled eggs with crayfish, and what I tried of it was very tasty. We ended with some tea and grabbed a couple of the newspapers they had on hand to peruse for a few minutes while we took our sweet time paying and prying ourselves from the booth to wander home.
We’re up for trying dinner here, although I am more looking forward to grabbing one of their very creative cocktails and some bar snacks some night soon.

People, people, people. Let’s not overlook the first word in the name of Bar Milano which is bar.
Drop the killer expectations for the food and focus on the fun. The cocktails are top notch, on par with places that specialize in cocktails like PDT, Grayz or Death & Co. but without the pretension. I also hear the wine list is pretty through and of you get hungry you can munch on a cheese plate until early morning.

I’m not sure I can give this restaurant a fair reveiw, although I’m going to try anyway. I went here for a preview dinner party where we were offered one of two choices of entrée– fish or lamb. I would say ultimately I was disappointed. The wine and drink list was really great. I ordered the fish hoping for good things, but when we got the food– and it took forever– my slice of fish was 3″ x 3″ x .5″. Needless to say I was famished (and wasted) by the end of the dinner– not my goal.
The other people who ordered the lamb seem to be pleased with their dish. If you want to be an upper East Village scenester, try getting a reservation at this place. My thoughts? Eh.

After reading all the good reviews, I was excited to try this restaurant.
I dined with two friends, and not one of us could find an appetizer that looked, well… appetizing.
I ended up ordering the salmon crudo, which was okay, but nothing to write home about.
Two of us ordered the lobster pasta, which was a huge disappointment.
It was not at all what I thought it would be.
It was basically some second rate lobster in a sort of lasagna like structure.
The sauce was bland and flavorless, and it was not even remotely worth the $ 24 price tag.
My other dining companion got the salmon, which was very mediocre.
The service was fine, but there is nothing on the menu that is a «stand-​out»
I truly feel that this is one of the most overrated restaurants in the city.
(and I dine out 4 – 5 times a week.)

The Good: The drinks here are some of the best I’ve ever had at a restaurant that didn’t bill itself foremost as a cocktail lounge. The decoration (dark wood paneling, something like marble behind the bar, gorgeous bartenders in vests and ties) makes it look like the sort of place where Don Draper would hang out, although the haphazard soundtrack (we heard lots of late-‘90s pop hits) doesn’t really mesh quite as well.
The food is quite good, although the menu is pretty standard upscale dining and nothing totally popped out and excited me.
The Bad: The location. On 3^rd Avenue in the 20s, you get a very businessy crowd that spills over from the Flatiron District and plenty of couples in their thirties, which means this is not a great place to take your girl friends for a pre-​game dinner before going out.
Would be a good date spot, except that it can get noisy. Recommended, but not forcefully so.

Review is for the bar only.
Sporting classy décor, a lovely drink menu and cocktail tablecloths instead of paper napkins, Bar Milano gets my vote for being a nice bar hangout. Try the Corpse Reviver cocktail.
Be warned, the huge warehouse building across the street is about to be turned into an NYU dorm, so Bar Milano will probably soon be swarmed with college undergrads.

Impeccable service + classy décor + comfy seats + delicious bread (poppy focaccia) + big wine list + unusual and inventive pasta dishes + lip-​smacking sauce + generous amount of of rabbit in my whole wheat pasta entrée + tasty appetizers + orgasmic dessert (stracciatella parfait) = my new favorite neighborhood fancy place. And I actually felt like I was getting kind of a deal, given the top notch service and truly great food. Yay! Keep it up, Bar Milano, and welcome to the neighborhood.

One of Denton’s new restaurants, Bar Milano really has quite the wine list, ranging from reasonable everyday drinking wines, to nice ones for that «special occasion.»
One of Bar Milano’s signature drinks is their water, yes I said water. Leave it to NYers to be able to capitalize on something that is offered free everywhere else in the world. At $ 2 for all you can drink, they carbonate their own tap water, which is actually quite good. Don’t imagine something like Seltzer water or club soda, it’s much more like little bubbles that you would fine in champagne.
My recommendations for this restaurant are to start off with the «Polpo alla Griglia» Grilled octopus, cooked to the right degree where it’s flavorful but not too textured or chewy. It also comes with a little Raddichio and Fennel to clean off your palette
For a Primi, the «Cuscini all’ Osso Bucco,» Braised veal-​filled Pasta, where the veal itself is tender, flavourful, and the pasta on the outside is cooked to perfection.
«Cotoletta alla Milanese,» is a great third choice for your main entrée. The veal is moist and juicy and the bread crumbs are nice and flavourful to compliment it as such.
As for dessert, I recommend the «Il Triolo» where the mixture two different gelatos, almond and vanilla, and a blueberry sorbet are just great without being overwhelmed with sugar. To compliment it, there are dried berries with caramel crisp that are seasoned with a tinges of black pepper. The tartness and subtle spiciness really contrasts the palette and completely brings out the flavor of the gelato and sorbet.
As for a scene, it does get busier and busier in the evening. And the later the hour gets, the better the crowd becomes at the bar scene. There is one long common standing table, conducive for a random approach and to start off a conversation with someone if you choose to do as such. But if not, then just sip on a Luce del Sol, kick back and relax.

I’ve been here once and it’s nice but I don’t need to go back again.
Despite all the ‘inoteca related hype there was no wow factor which was slightly disappointing.
While the bar side appeared to have a bit of a buzz, the restaurant side seemed stuffier and more suited for a business dinner than 5 girls out on the town would have liked. Lacklustre is the possibly too harsh word that comes to mind.
The food was nice, but not exciting. I started with the Timballo di Quaglia, which was a quail and foie gras pâté, followed by the Tonno e Vitello a surf and turf like combination of medium rare seared tuna with rolled veal breast and artichokes. Both dishes left me wanting more, not in terms of quantity but as to flavour combinations. A few girls had the scallops with caviar, they were quite large and looked pretty on the plate. Although I didn’t taste, I didn’t hear anyone raving about them either.
We finished with a shared cheese plate, slightly surprised that none of the cheeses on the list were Italian. Why the sudden American twist on a restaurant pronouncing itself to be Italian was beyond me.
Overall a nice meal, more for the company than the food.

I came here for brunch. It was definitely not crowded and I sat in a corner booth near the bar area where I could watch people walking past. The décor was very inviting and helped me to really enjoy my afternoon while I people watched and nibbled on my food.
I ordered the eggs with lobster. It also came with seasoned potatoes and arugula. The eggs were soft and the lobster was a nice consistency. I couldn’t really taste the lobster all that much, but there was plenty of it.
I also got the Italian pannetone (?) toast, which was the Italian version of French toast. Instead of making it with French brioche, this version was made with pannetone, which has more of a cake-​consistency with little fruits inside (think fruit cake). This was much better than I expected it to be. Decent portion – not too big, but still very filling.
For dessert, I ordered the semifreddo that came with lavender honey topped with cherries and another kind of fruit that I’ve never seen before. It was pretty and tasted OK, but it wasn’t to die for.
The service here was great and very friendly. I wouldn’t expect less since I was probably the waiter’s only table.
I would give this place 4.5 stars rather than 5. It was a great experience.

I’ve been here twice now and I’m giving BM 4 stars for excellent, attentive and helpful service, an interesting mix of lounge bar scene and fine dining room and some interesting and tasty entrees.
My last meal was an impromptu business meeting where we were sat at a table in the bar area. In doing so we met a pair of couples from Florence, Italy whom at first I thought were hired to be there so much as they looked like they were part of the scene (prada shoes with D&G glasses etc.).
The bartenders were great, starting most patrons with a glass of water (or maybe that I just looked hot), and offered a taste of the wines and found my selection on the 2^nd shot. I heard comments from those around the cocktails were good, but I didn’t sample.
The meal is started with a small mixed bread basket and homemade butter. The pasta was well made and tasty (Concesi con Ricotta was better than the Cuscini all’ Osso Buco). I really enjoyed the monkfish with foie gras (Coda di Rospo con Fegato Grasso — *I’m not a fan of mushrooms but the earthy mix of oyster mushrooms and –others– was an excellent complement), the cuttlefish and the ribeye with bone marrow were also excellent. The wine selection is extensive (and expensive) but the sommelier was well versed in the list and regions, selecting a good bottle for our price point. The deserts are light (dolci) unique and almost over thought but I enjoyed and recommend the Rabarbaro Panettone Crostata, however, the final course is more suited for an excellent cheese plate.
I think the problem people have with this place is the location and subsequent perception going in because of the tie from Jason Denton’s other restaurants. What you can expect from them all is the excellent wine selection but Bar Milano is a different feel, taste and experience from the rest. BM is much more dressed up and would be more suited in MPD, but despite the dull views from the floor to ceiling windows in the bar, do not let that prohibit you from experiencing what’s inside that’s offered.
This is a good Thursday — Saturday evening dinner spot, Wed-​Friday lunch or Sunday brunch (so I’m told) for those jet setters, business clients, a nice date or an opportunity to catch a group of ladies starting their night out. The bar is casual/​stylish and suitable for pairs, but the dining room feels more intimate and best for up to 4 but they have a few large tables to accommodate groups.
Enjoy

Why aren’t more places opened like this, simple and yet beautiful design, wonderful staff and excellent service. The bar (and drinks) are some of the very best in the city — it’s literally my favorite cocktail spot now. The brunch is wonderful and inexpensive. The dinner menu is a little pricer and the portions modest but hey it’s full of skinny models! Seriously smaller portions of very tasty food is what you should expect, for a special meal I like this and it simply means I actually get to the pud for a change.
yummy yummy…
Best drink — Corpse reviver!
It opens at 7am too!

I went in with maybe too many expectations…
Actually, I figured a place associated with ‘ino & Lupa — how could you go wrong? In my mind it was already a winner… unfortunately, it failed in so many respects.
We split a Cuscini All’osso Bucco which was the braised veal filled pasta — those were the best part of the meal.
I had the Filetto Di Maiale Con Mostarda– pork chop mustard fruit, escarole, my friend the Piccioni Arrostiti E Salsiccia– squab breast, squab sausage, brussels sprouts. The pork chop was dry and you know when you cook over a gas grill — and it has that weird gas taste? Yep, mine did. The escarole’s flavor didn’t match the pork chop, it was cooked way too much and was soggy and I know escarole is bitter but this was too much. Harmonious flavors? no.
On the other hand, I thought my friend’s brussel sprouts were yummy, good flavor.
We had some dessert but it wasn’t memorable.
I would say if you’re going to go here, just stop at the bar & have a drink b/​c the bartendar was very friendly and accomodating and seemed to know his stuff. Also, skip the entrees and stick w/​a pasta.
So 1 drink, split appetizer, entrée, split dessert came to $ 80/​person (with tip)–
I’m not unhappy I went but I won’t be back. I’ll stick to ‘ino, ‘inoteca or my all time fav Blue Ribbon Bar if I want to go to a wine bar /​place to grab a bite.

Brought to you by the owners of ‘inoteca, Bar Milano is definitely a welcome addition to a neighborhood starved for something remotely nice and cool. Had a «Sunday Funday» here yesterday, complete with far too much wine, and tasty cheese. It’s definitely a step up from a usual Sunday Funday haunt (think dive bar), but it was very nice. The décor was slightly 50s mod in the bar area, with fun green carpet. The bar was pretty packed, too.
Looking forward to a dinner here sometime.

Skip it for the food, hit it for the drinks.
Hence, the 3 star review. The service was well-​intentioned but pretty inexperienced. There are servers that are overly accomodating and servers that are deliberately aloof. All in all, service is slow but not rude. There just seems to be a general lack of organization, probably because the servers really are new to the fine dining scene.
Although, is Bar Milano attempting to compete against the well-​established fine dining giants a few blocks over on Park Ave? Maybe that is why they chose this random 24^th and 3^rd location.
In any case, the food is sub-​par in terms of value. One of our orders was the shrimp-​filled agnolotti which was just terrible. It tasted like undercooked dumplings dressed over with chicken stock. And it comes with a total of 9 tiny pieces. Avoid. Another of our orders was the tagliatelle with ragu sauce, which was decent, but again, the portion was comically small and not delicious enough to warrant the price.
I would, however, go back for the drinks. They were fabulous and a martini-girl’s best friend. $ 13 per drink was not bad.
Don’t go out of your way to make reservations for a swanky dinner at this one. There are too many better options nearby. But I am totally supportive if you live nearby and hit it for a tasty buzz before heading to town.