L’Amico NYC

Cute lil’ spot that’s connected to the hotel, and they did let me put my stroller next to our table (it was a tight fit, but it worked!).
I had the hash and poached eggs which were ok, but my friend did love her french toast! It was pretty busy for brunch here… but I must say, I kind of liked how the other dining area looked at the hotel (since you have to pass by it to use the restroom!).

If I was judging L’Amico by the food alone, it would undoubtedly be a 4-​star experience. More goes into dining than food alone though, which is why I’m giving L’Amico a 3-​star review.
The positives of L’Amico are many — it’s conveniently located near MSG without being a kitschy, tourist filled restaurant; the décor is gorgeous, with huge windows, gorgeous tiled floors, and dimly lit chandeliers, to give a very classy vibe. The menu for both drinks and wine is varied, with the cocktails being beautifully made. I ordered the Non Classico, which is vodka, St. Germain, Prosecco, and grapefruit, while fiancé ordered the Sicilian Sol, which consists of Amaretto, bitters, Prosecco, among other delicious blends. Each cocktail was $ 14, standard for a mixed drink in the area.
We began with delicious appetizers of crostini, choosing the eggplant and crab ($ 8, $ 12, respectively). These came out on huge pieces of bread cut into two slices, and each of us had an enormous portion for the price. Fiancé liked the eggplant the best, while I loved the huge amount of Peekytoe Crab on the crab crostini. We also ordered the burrata, and oh my god, I am in love. It was so absolutely delicious and creamy, I was very reluctant to share, despite the fact that we ordered it to share. Seriously, order the burrata, you will NOT be disappointed.
As for entrees, I ordered a margherita pizza (actually I ordered the Soppressa Picante because I am 0% Italian and had no idea that meant pork — luckily our waitress asked if I was okay with pork and I was able to say «No!» which resulted in her offering a margherita pizza instead), and fiancé ordered the campanelle (with short ribs braised overnight). The pizza was fine. Nothing bad, but nothing great. Fiancé said his pasta was also good.
I’m not sure if we just ordered the wrong things, entrée wise, but dinner as a whole was good, but nothing out of this world.
The real issue that we had at L’Amico was not the food, but the service. While our waitress was polite whenever she did come over, we found service on a whole to be extremely slow, with the waitresses, at least. We were left for long periods of time in between taking orders, dropping off the check, etc., feeling semi invisible as we were constantly passed by.
The bus boys were actually the stars of the service that we encountered — they were so quick to refill water glasses, take away empty plates, and bring out food, which was extremely appreciated, especially since the waitress seemed very overwhelmed with the amount of tables that had to be served (also, the tables for two are VERY close together, so you get to know your neighbor well considering you have to basically sit on their lap if you need to get up).
In summary — appetizers = amazing, drinks = very good, bus boys = fantastic, but service on a whole is just a bit lacking and slow (maybe look somewhere else if you’re looking for a pre-​theater meal).

Delicious. Yellowtail appetizer was refreshing and so good we ordered two. The agnolotti was also very good but on the small side, which our waitress told us. Branzino was perfectly cooked. The tartufo dessert was nothing special at all so would pass on that. The banana tart was quite good though.
Efficient and very friendly service. Highly recommended.

Food 4ish
Ambiance 4
Service 4
O/​all 4ish
Things to note:
1/​The ambiance and style reflects the new NYC architecture… industrial with lots of glass and wood.
2/​The service was quite good; i didnt think it would be for some reason.
3/​The food was surprisingly good… i had low expectations given how many new italian joints open up every week. Those places look nice and seem cool but the food often falls short. The flavors were unique and balanced.
4/​Pricey… even for nyc, i think the price point was a bit high for the amount of food… but the flavors make up for that.

The food here is exquisite. I highly recommend for foodies to dine here for an consistently tasty culinary delight. Chef Laurent Tourondel designs the varried items on the menu that will always entertain your taste buds. In numerous experience eating here, I have thoroughly luxuriated in each bite. The staff here is outstanding, with extra kudos to Eric, Robin, Parae, and Sarah.
Manager Parae is marvelously efficient, all while being stunningly beautiful. She runs a tight ship with great class and ease, making this a première destination. The culinary artistry of chef Laurent is an amuse-​bouché in every bite. Needless to say, I adore dining here.

Ever want to feel sexy and swanky while eating a big bowl of campanelle? If so, L’Amico is the spot to go! Recently, one of my best lady friends and I had a romantic date night at L’Amico (…because who needs a boyfriend?), and I definitely left very full and quite satiated.
To start out the evening, we split a plate of Brussels Sprout & Salsify Salad, mixed with pancetta, cipollini onions, and hazelnuts. (We smelled them wafting in the air when we entered; it was on our minds!)There were definitely many flavor elements melding in this dish, from sweet to salty to acidic. It really hit me from all angles! From there, we split a bowl of the aforementioned campenelle (house made) with braised short rib and horseradish ricotta. This was my favorite of all of the courses we ate. My friend, a bit weary from a long work day, took a bite and her head popped up, eyes wide. For her, it was love at first bite! It was a rich and soothing pasta dish, perfect for a cold winter’s night.
For our main courses, she opted for the roasted spiced duck breast, while I went for the wood oven roasted chicken. Mine was served with charred broccoli rabe and preserved lemon. The chicken was so moist; if chicken could melt in one’s mouth, this chicken came damn close! It was seasoned heavily with herbs and lemon, which was both a pro and a con. Despite all of its seasonings, a little bit more salt would have tied it all together. I could not detect any salt at all! The lemon flavor was also omnipresent on the broccoli rabe, which was delicious but a tad overwhelming by the time I was finished with my dish. I had a bite of my friend’s duck, which was also delicious and perfectly cooked; an overcooked duck is a sad thing.
For dessert, we split a bowl of gelato with two flavors, a pistachio with orange marmalade and an off-​menu special of marzipan. The marzipan was a bit rich in both flavor and consistency, and the pistachio was a great palate cleanser for the marzipan, incidentally! A light and crisp pizzelle cookie floated above the top of the scoops, a nice contrast in consistency between bites of gelato.
Overall, I had a large and satisfying meal. Coupled with a lovely attentive staff and its sexy atomosphere, I look forward to coming back, likely for a couple more bowls of campanelle, all for myself! (What’s wrong with being selfish?)

As another reviewer pointed out, it’s great that there are quality restaurants opening up near MSG. I’ve now been to L’Amico twice, and have enjoyed both meals. The modern /​rustic décor with the open kitchen complements the style of the food well; plates are vibrant but not overly complicated. During my first visit which was within a week of the opening, the service wasn’t particularly great (especially at the bar while waiting to be seated), however, after this latest visit it seems they’ve worked out the kinks and now have a pretty smooth-​running operation.
The last time around we went for brunch, and I ordered the cotechino hash and poached eggs (if you have hash and poached eggs on a plate together I will order it every time). The flavors were great and the poached eggs were cooked nicely, but the texture of the hash was a bit mushy. If the hash was crispier the texture of the dish would have been much more balanced. I also tried the fennel sausage and eggs pie which was a flavor bomb, but bear in mind that the slower you eat the more soggy the dough will get (especially once you split the egg open). Lastly, the wood oven baked eggs were also a solid dish. It’s served in the baking dish with caponata and two slices of L’Amico’s delicious, toasted bread. The crunchy bread is perfect for scooping out the eggs /​caponata as you make your way through the dish. Again, overall we were very pleased with the food.
The prices at L’Amico are pretty reasonable despite its chicness, and if you can get a reservation — the restaurant seems to be packed most of the time — I recommend you do. I’m looking forward to trying their dinner menu soon.

Food: 4
Service: 4
Ambiance: 4
I had a fantastic brunch here a few Sundays ago. The hostesses were sweet and our server and busboys were attentive. The brick pizza ovens and open kitchen concept add animation and warmth to the restaurant. The vibe was comfy and a touch upscale. I’ll have to come back and sample their dinner menu one day.
–French Toast & Sheep Milk Ricotta: This ranks in my top 5 of french toasts in Manhattan — and I brunch A LOT. Trust me, the menu description does not do it justice.
–My friend said her egg dish was good, but not impressive. All the more reason to order the French Toast, I say!
They have tables to accommodate groups large and small. The two-​top tables are, of course, a little too close for comfort, but that’s the norm in NY. There were people of all ages here, including a family with kids, on the Sunday afternoon we dined here. (The family, I assumed, was staying at the Eventi hotel upstairs.) The hotel lobby and another restaurant/​bar is next door, which is also where the bathroom is located. The door to the BRs (multi-​stall, spacious, verrry quiet) blends into the wall, so you really have to look for it.

I thought brunch was lovely! L’Amico has a nice décor, it’s part of a hotel but does not have that vibe. I like the décor, tables are a bit close to each other but it does not feel stuffy. The menu has a lot of options which is great and I found prices relatively reasonable for NYC. Egg dishes are between $ 9 – 15, that’s pretty great.
We ordered:
1. Lemon & blueberry pancakes– I had a bite of these. They were delicious and pretty light, I was expecting a much heavier and larger dish.
2. Omlette soufflé.- This was interesting, it’s a very fluffy omlette stuffed with flour and Parmesan cheese. I was a little worried it would be super heavy but still felt light. There’s a small salad of greens, the dressing was a bit too strong. Overall, good egg dish.
3. Farmers omlette– My mom got this and it looked like the best, it’s an egg white omlette with avocado inside and a small salad.
4. Side of brussel sprouts– I really did not like this, something felt very off. It tasted very sweet but a bit too citrus., Just weird flavoring.
5. Coffee cake– This is really good and comes with jam. We honestly opted for this because the bread option «our bread» is $ 13 compared to the $ 3 coffee cake lol. Very good but not really needed because portions are normal– large.
Service was good, at first we had to keep asking for water then she left a bottle on the table. Overall, nice meal and environment. I suggest making a reservation because it was a bit busy.

Had a very delicious meal here on a busy Friday evening. We were in a rush and our original reservation was at 5:45. When they opened the doors at 5:30 they seated us right away. We were out the door at 6:15 after eating a meal and having delicious cocktails.
The décor was beautiful, and the open style kitchen was an excellent touch. It was interesting to watch I assume the head chef check all dishes carefully before sending them out.
We had the truffle pizza special, which was a personal pie. Quite pricey ($ 55.00) but it was expected and fair considering how many truffle shavings were on the pizza.
The pasta with the short rib and ricotta was also delicious. As expected at a nicer resturant the portions were not huge. Next time I will definitely order an additional pasta or main dish for two people.
Will likely be returning soon!

Nice to see a variety of real good restos popping up around the MSG area.
Can only speak for brunch here, which was enjoyable.
We both ordered pies… smoked salmon and sausage/​egg. Both were really good. Also got the coffee cake which was a tasty treat.
Service was just ok… our drinks were served at different times and there wasn’t much checking to see if we wanted/​needed anything else. But it wouldn’t stop me from returning and trying dinner.
More like 3.5 star place but will round up rather than down.

The venue is really well decorated and the open kitchen is absolutely beautiful! Definitely wanted to try everything on the menu, especially since their new winter menu had w special white truffle section! But alas would need to work more overtime to afford that.
The octopus was quite amazing, super tender and flavorful, one of the best that I’ve had. The sausage pizza is also great! Really get the flavored of the oven, thin pizza with a nice chewy crust. Unlike other thin wood oven pizzas like from Vezzos, this crust was nice and chewy still.
Pasta was the big let down of the night. Got the short rib pasta, was a little heavy on the vinegar and came out luke warm. Would definitely try another one of their pastas tho! The table next to us seemed to enjoy theirs.
Would definitely come back! Totally worth the price point.
Great date spot!

This week’s fashionplate features our Eva lace kimono at L’amico. After a fun holiday afternoon with the fam we were famished and I know Italian food is something everyone likes. We abstained from drinking and just ordered Pellgrino and sodas. We proceeded to split a few things. The eggplant crostini was very good but we should’ve gotten two orders for 4 people. The roasted fall vegetables were amazing and satisfying. We then got two pizzas– the charred kale which was a little spicy and very tasty and a plain cheese pie that was also very good. We then got a special pasta with short ribs that was amazing. We ended to meal on a sweet note and opted for the caramel and chocolate desserts both of which were decadent and espressos all around.
Now on to the fashion part of the fashionplate. L’amico was pretty busy for a Friday afternoon, with both business lunches and leisurely lunches. The crowd was very mixed with young and old and tourists alike. The service was good although a little slow.

KenScale: 6.5÷10
At the end of my dinner at L’Amico, a new Italian restaurant at Eventi Hotel led by chef Laurent Tourondel, the hostess was struggling to find our coats and bags even though we were given coat check tags earlier. We had to go to the back of the restaurant at the coat check, and one of the security dudes at the hotel started snapping at us: «You are not supposed to be here.» We explained how the hostess lost track of all of our belongings, to no avail. The exchanges got pretty heated until the guy said «Chill the fxxx out, man.» I was so mad so I started yelling back while the hostess desperately explained how the restaurant was running a separate operation from the hotel and they had no control over these security dudes. Well, I had to get this out first. My Unilocal reviews don’t typically talk about services and KenScale is predominantly based on the quality of food. In other words, I probably would’ve given an OK score had the food from this bustling restaurant been actually decent notwithstanding this horrific encounter. Alas, that wasn’t the case.
The menu at L’Amico is just an assortment of so-​and-​so Italian dishes. Roasted pear and prosciutto that came with gorgonzola toast, endive and walnut was tasty, with nice combination of different ingredients that would make it a nice starter. The sausage pizza with shishito on top, however, felt flat and the crust took too much portion of the entire pie. Fussili pasta that came with spicy sausage, bitter greens, pine nuts, chiles and pecorino was nicely done, but I’ve had way better pastas in countless Italian places in the city. Black sea bass with olive oil mashed potatoes was simply overcooked; I didn’t understand why the fish should be so tough when I’ve had so many silky smooth bass elsewhere. For dessert, frozen Meyer lemon had the refreshing touch that somewhat lessened my disappointment with the meal, but apple-​walnut cake with acacia honey gelato was pedestrian and surprisingly crumbled so easily without the firm texture I was expecting.
Despite this subpar experience, the restaurant was overflowing with people on a weekday night (I suspect many of them just coming straight from work in Midtown, and the location of this place certainly help), although getting a reservation wasn’t particularly challenging. The restaurant has a full bar with many Italian-​centric wine selections. Combine the terrible service and mediocre meal, and I’ve had one of the worst dining experiences this year. There are other restaurants nearby (try Lupulo for instance) that deserve your patronage way more than this classic tourist/​after-​work trap. I’m a pretty generous Unilocal review who tries to find redeeming qualities in all restaurants no matter how underwhelming my experience is and haven’t never given two stars. Go figure.

I’m surprised to leave a critical review of L’Amico, but the meal was a miss. I’ll go back just once more to see if it’s been hiccups, but not confident.
Service was missing on the technical side. Explanations of dishes came like Pete Wells describes those at Jams. If you’re going to offer a classic dish, don’t explain it as if I were 12. If you truly feel it needs an explanation, mask it behind a beautiful description.
Touches at the table were just a wreck. Eye rolls were abundant and sighs were part of the vocabulary.
Unfortunately, the food didn’t make up for anything. The crudo was clean, properly seasoned and a well-​balanced, simple dish. Salad came overdressed and wilted quickly and the octopus was under braised by at least 20 minutes.
I could go on.
Would not recommend.

Some very good dishes, some less so. Decent place for brunch, though.
We stopped by as part of a group of four on a Saturday for brunch, although it was actually lunch (brunch is only on Sundays). For our meal, we split the burrata and meatballs as apps, the white mushroom and Esposito’s sausage pizzas, and the agnolotti and fusilli pastas. Of all the dishes, the sausage pizza was the most memorable; while the flavors were generally very good, the mushroom pizza had a bit too much on it given the lack of heft on the crust, making it a bit too soggy. The rest of the dishes were decent, the meatballs in particular maybe a bit better than average, but nothing particularly outstanding. Given the quality of some of the dishes, I’d probably come back and try a few other dishes, although perhaps a bit more focus on the pizzas and the appetizers.

Update: my original review is below, and I gave 5 stars originally. Since writing, the menu and plating of dishes has changed for the worse.
The tuna is now carpaccio, so if you like slimy this is gonna work for you. Not my thing.
The market greens now have a creamy dressing making it entirely average in every way. Mine had been dressed too early and came to the table somewhat limp.
The calamari are still a winner as are the meatballs, but overall I think chef has changed my faves to lesser dishes. Hoping he’ll reconsider.
—
For a meatball this good, I would travel a long way. Lucky for me, it’s on my doorstep.
Tender, beautifully spiced and seasoned, with just enough sauce for mopping up with the delicious bread accompaniment, the meatballs are an easy delight.
Spiced tuna and the market greens (which was kale based in September) were also terrific. The capers and anchovy based dressing on the salad is flavorful and thankfully tonight, not too much of it, so the salt doesn’t overpower. Someone got heavy-​handed for a few weeks on that front but they seem to have righted that wrong.
But what’s new for me is the glowing ambience in the restaurant. I’ve been sampling this menu for a few months now in The Vine (awesome bar and cocktails by the way), but I love the buzz here in the main restaurant. The wood pizza ovens add a warmth that will kick-​ass in winter. And everyone just seemed, well, joyful.
I normally pass on dessert, but convince someone to share the black cherry and amaretto ice cream with you and you won’t regret it.
I can’t recommend this place enough. Bring friends — food this lovely is worth sharing.

Stopped by here, there’s a bar to the left of the entry and you can grab one of the 8 seats there. Fruit flies kept falling into my coworker’s wine as we were at the end with the stone basket holding some fruit they used for the cocktails. Interesting bowl with crystal in it, I think.
The beer selection small, nothing on tap, but they were good about replacing the wine each time critters fell in. The appetizers — the yellowtail tartare was good, but the baked octopus was a bit too grilled and the dish lacked flavor.
The pizza — we had a white mushroom pizza that was okay — where it wasn’t burnt. Too many pieces I had to eat around or just break off. I’m not a fan of that kind of pizza (I know some are, they’ll give this place a better review).
The pasta, though, was good. Solid work on the fegato triangoli. Will come back for that one.
Service was good, the bartender was attentive, though definitely wanted things his own way. The newness of the place showed a bit as they took a bit of effort to get everything set up and set out, but overall, room to improve and I think they will. Will try this again later.

What a disappointment! i made an exception to dine in midtown once in a blue moon (hey downtown girl here!). But L’amico is not my amico :(
Food is good though nothing really to rave about. I could have given it 3.5 starts if I am feeling generous and because of the beautiful décor. Yet I have to stay honest and for sake of the Unilocalers that are reading my posts — service was very very slow: 20 mins wait for our wine, 30 mins for two apps to arrive, another good 30 mins for our entrée and 20 mins for the check. You do the math. By the dinner is wrapped up I am hundred yr old!
Lesson learned: stay downtown (and BK) stay golden.

First night at the restaurant– amico means friend & the staff here is friendly in a way many Manhattan restaurants aren’t– stellar service– shout out to Anya. French chef Laurent Tourondel knocks Italian out of the park.
The food:
Ate yellowtail crude w/​orange confit
Seared scallops with three beans in eggplant purée
Housemade chocolate./ gianduja & pistachio orange marmalade gelato
Total $ 53
I skipped pasta and pizza– two magnificent ovens turn out some serious looking pizza. I will return for the Esposito. i ate healthyish till dessert. Yellow tail crude w/​orange confit with bits of orange was luscious to the tongue. Pieces of orange & spices– wow.
The scallops were a genius dish. Blackened & perfectly seared over three beans & the eggplant purée. The Flavors & textures married in harmony. Housemade gelato w/​a wafer on top– well– top of the pops meal in the Flatiron!