Montenapo Ristorante Della Moda

A perfect lunch: the grilled Calamari salad is tops.

This place is expensi. Still, the food is pretty delish. Best bet is the $ 25 prix fixe lunch. Good options/​portions for the price. Beware — the «house» wine is $ 17! (uh… yeah, per glass)

I sit at the bar while I wait for my company to arrive. I ask for caipirinha. «Sorry we don’t have cachaca». Fine, I settle with vodka and soda. Fourteen dollars (&*$%*!!!). My company arrives and we are seated at the table. It’s around 9pm on a weekday and the place is almost empty. The place looks very groomy. The two waiters who take our drink and food orders look really unhappy. Maybe they had a bad day or are bored. I go through the wine menu and all glasses are $ 13 and up and selection is pretty limited. We ask for grilled octopus appetizer but is not available. We settle for beef carpaccio and grilled squid instead. Carpaccio is more like arugula salad with small slices of carpaccio hidden in the bottom. We order a plate of 3 different pasta. Pasta is pretty well cooked but all lacks flavor. Tiramisu is not available, again.
Groomy service and atmosphere, and not very satisfying meal. There is not much choice in this area but this will not be my choice.
21 points on Zagat.

What was the name of that bar in the building where Ally McBeal’s law firm was?
This is that bar for me, except I’m not getting drunk and having sex with anyone in my office (this is a good thing, believe you me).
Big fat tasty glasses of prosecco.

I think the general consensus here is that the food is very good but slightly overpriced. While I agree, I think that’s inevitable given the location. That being said, the interior is a sort of oasis amidst the craziness of Times Square. It’s very quiet and elegant inside. The service is formal without being snobby, and prompt and attentive.
For my first course, I had an AMAZING lobster salad, which was a special of the day. When it arrived, I was delighted to see HUGE chunks of lobster on top of lightly dressed greens. THere was also lots of avocado, with some grapefruit and fingerling potatoes, with truffles shaved on top. This was definitely the highlight of my meal. And while $ 30 may be a lot for a first course, in this case, it was worth it. Everything was perfectly balanced and delicious. The other people in my party had the crab cakes, the caesar salad, and the steamed artichoke to start, and everybody enjoyed it.
For my main course, I ordered lamb, medium rare-​it arrived perfectly cooked and well-​seasoned. A friend of mine ordered the risotto with truffles, which was also delicious. My fiancé had a pasta with a tomato basil sauce and spicy sausage, which was good, but nothing earth shattering.
I wish I could remember the wine we had, which was reasonably priced and delicious, but I don’t. I will say, however, that we asked our waiter for a recommendation and he chose it after we told him what we were looking for, and he did a great job.
All in all, this is a very pleasant place for a quiet dinner. I think you could definitely get a bigger bang for your buck at other places, but for the location and convenience, it is better than its surroundings. In all honesty, it might be 3 or 3.5 star food, but the lobster salad really tipped it over the edge.

I went here for dinner during restaurant week with 3 boys (including my boyfriend). I actually like this palce a lot.
SETTING:
this place is a hidden gem. it’s located on 41^st between 7^th and 8^th so if you’re a commuter & come out of the Port Authority every morning, you’ve probably passed it a million times. when you first come in, you walk down some steps because it’s a floor below street level. it’s so open and airy! I think it’s because the dining room overlooks the garden in the middle of the New York Times Building. the crowd is usually a mix of suits/​women for apres work dinner & drinks. this is NOT a bar scene & even though it’s chatty, noise level is a bit on the quieter side.
FOOD:
1. CARPACCIO is good — you should order this as an appetizer, the fliet mignon with the carpaccio is such a good dish.
2. PRAWN SALAD is okay.
3. CRISP BONELESS CHICKEN is excellent. it’s really juicy & the potatoes it comes with is really good.
4. SEARED SALMON IS AMAZING.
5. RAVIOLI was okay.
SERVICE:
service was nice — our waiter was polite, though you can tell he was a bit apprehensive since we were the youngest of the crowd and he was probably worried about his tip. oh silly waiters.
PRICE:
recently I noticed that they hiked up the price a bit more — I think they changed management and the menu is slightly different. I think that for the area, the price wasn’t bad at all. it came out to around $ 45 per person (we each got glasses of wine). just a tip: ask if they still have a pre-​theatre menu because they usually keep it on the side. also, a little side note about restaurant week — yes, some places say it’s $ 25 per person for a three course meal BUT remember that this doesn’t include your wine + tip.
this place is worth a visit.
xoxo

Dining at Montenapo was such an aweful experience. Sure, I liked the food, but the service was terrible especially for the price range. Our server didn’t bother to show up until 20 minutes after we were seated even though the place was a ghost town. I had to ask twice if they could send our server over. At the end of the dinner, I offered politely contructive suggestions to the manager but instead of respectfully listening, he proceeded to be very defensive and argumentative immediately. I understand that the ownership of this place was changed several months ago. With this sort of un-​customer friendly attitude, I suspect that they will not last very long in NYC or anywhere else for that matter.
By the way, anyone trying to use the 10% off coupon from BuildingLink, forget it because they refused to honor it even though it is valid and expires in Nov 2010. Talk about poor business practices.

This restaurant is a little overpriced for what you get, but you can always be assured of a good quality meal that tastes great. They have several organic options on the menu. The service is impeccable. The atmosphere is chic. It’s in the ground floor of the NY Times building. I’m never be disappointed at this restaurant.

DO NOT waste your time, money or patience dealing with the incompetent staff. I will admit the food quality and taste was fair but overpriced… However, the staff was completely incompetent and the food presentation was less than adequate for the price demanded. You could get equal or BETTER service and presentation at Chili’s or Ruby Tuesdays!

Incredible Italian food as good as anything in little Italy. Nice wines and good service. Easy to miss because it is near times square and low quality tourist traps. Try the goat, exceptional!

I’ve done the prix fix menus, and the food is amazing. The strong selection is unique and very well executed. Particular favorites are the eggplant parm starter and pasta with salmon. Wine selection is great, and the service is top notch.
Admittedly, a big part of the dining experience is the space. Holy. Moly. They’ve done a fantastic job of creating a beautiful, vibrant and inviting space in an otherwise nutty part of the city. Gorgeous.

Around here the buildings are tall and the shade is frigid. Montenapo is a gorgeous sun-​filled room full of suits and sensible looking ladies.
All the pasta is homemade. Our table had organic greens, mezzaluna, tagliatelle with lobster, and a green risotto with a generous heaping of truffle shavings. Delicious.
With so few options in the area it gets an extra bump due to the lacking ‘hood.

Was invited to go and sample their menu. Great service, nice space. Super spacious and airy. Classy but not stuffy at all. Had a great nice, with awesome food. Loved the Scallops, pastas made on premises, ossobuco with bone marrow AND the dulce de leche flan was out of this world. Prices are a bit high but portions are big enough to share, so it makes up for it. Would go there for a pre-​theater dinner, a nice relaxed happy hour, a date or business lunch/​dinner.
For more reviews please check out my blog site

Overall good experience, food is pretty good and tasty, but a bit pricey for what it offers, hence the 3 stars.
We ordeered from prix menu, I had:
Appetizer– Asparagus wrapped with pancetta, nicely grilled, and a good sauce on base of the plate
Main– satimbocca. Juicy tender chicken breast with prociutto and spinach baked in. Tho small portion
Dessert — tiramisu. Solid selection, tho not the greatest, but decent.
My friend had the fish for, and that was juicy and well flavored as well. The sorbet she order was trio, with vanilla flavor being the best.
Ambiance and décor was modernly classy, attentive wait staff. Prix menu was 41 each, plus we each ordered a glass of wine, total came out to $ 68. I would come back again but will try thei pasta next time.

Having been to Milan this past summer, it was fun to visit a restaurant that was named for that chic city’s most fashionable street. The décor is great-​contemporary, pretty lighting an amazingly high ceilings.
Food and service were excellent. We split the eggplant appetizer and the pasta with sea urchin, then each had a fish entrée. We finished with a very good Tiramisu. Would definitely recommend-​good location for pre-​theatre as well.

Wow! This place really blew me away. From the décor to the freshly-​made pasta, everything was truly superb. I have been going to the theater for years and have begun to eat in other neighborhoods due the lack of affordable, high quality, enjoyable dining experiences in that area. The wide open glass enclosed space gives me the feeling that even if crowded, you would never feel claustrophobic. The flowers were also a nice touch– giving a more personal feel to such a large restaurant.
While the prices are still a bit on the high side, the quality of the food and service justify it.
Appetizers ordered: Tuna Tartare, Buffalo Mozarella/​Caprese Salad
Entrees: Half moon Ravioli, Papardelle
I am looking forward to returning soon.

What a terrific find for the typically blah times square area. Went there for a quick business lunch and left feeling as if I had a five star meal. The service was impeccable… very earnest. In addition, the food was terrific. The fusili, sausage and broccoli rabe was a perfect light meal.

This is an impressive huge space to enter. A massive glass restaurant with high ceilings big enough to feed an army. Modern and tasteful, if not a bit stark. The downside to the design — it is noisy — very, very noisy. There was a loud group in the back that cackled loudly during most of our dinner. I would give the meal a C+ to a B. The food was tasty and fairly interesting, but expensive, and there are many options in New York that present better food for the dollar. Service was good — the manager was particularly attentive.

This past Thursday evening I had the pleasure to check out one of the most talked about new dining experiences to hit Manhattan. Montenapo, which borrows its name from a popular shopping street in Milan, is a stunningly beautiful restaurant located in the city’s theater and fashion districts.
The roughly 5,200 square-​foot, glassed-​in space, overlooks the Renzo Piano designed Birch-​tree garden in the New York Times building. Montenapo has a modern and simple décor mixed with an elegant and laid back atmosphere.
The waitress that served my wife and I was extremely friendly and equally helpful with picking out the perfect wine to start the night. Her selection of a particular white wine was spot on and a very delicious way to prepare us for our meal.
We enjoyed some of their warm bread and «finest olive oil imported from Italy» while looking over the menu. The appetizer was an outstanding 24-​month aged Parma ham with fresh mozzarella, baby arugula, organic cherry tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil. Just the right amount for the two of us to share.
Up next was one of the restaurant’s pasta tasting specials, which is two or three of the pastas from the menu. We decided on two (always save room for dessert) and picked the gnocchi and cheese filled ravioli. Both were so tasty and hit the spot.
The gnocchi was covered in a rather rich Gorgonzola cheese sauce and spinach, while the ravioli was filled with ricotta and Parmesan cheese and served in a sweet tomato sauce that had hints of honey and mint.
I thought that the addition of the aforementioned honey and mint would not work with a tomato sauce, I was proven wrong and absolutely savored this dish.
For entrees, my wife went with a perfectly baked filet of red snapper that was just so soft and mouth watering. It was served with cherry tomatoes, fingerling potatoes, black olive tapenade & fresh thyme.
My wife found this to be of her favorite seafood dishes in some time and luckily gave me a little sample of it before finishing it all.
I decided on the baked free range boneless young chicken that was stuffed with chestnuts, fresh herbs, black truffle, and chicken liver. Bravo!
The chicken was so soft and juicy. It came with a side of creamy mashed potatoes and organic vegetables.
Bring on the desserts! My wife is the one with the sweet tooth in the relationship and she knows a thing or two about desserts. When she saw tiramisu was on the menu, she instantly knew what she was ordering.
Quite possibly the best tiramisu she (and I) have ever tasted. They even sprinkled a little edible gold on top. I went with the crème brule and found it to be extremely delectable. The topping of raspberries and blackberries added a nice touch to an already tasty treat.
We washed down all of this goodness with a cappuccino that had a great foamy top and reminded me of being back in Italy. It was a great way to end one stellar evening in an outstanding new addition to the culinary scene of New York City.
Go…here…now!

Well…
It’s my last week of work and I wanted to take my colleague out for a ‘thank you’ lunch. We’ve been watching this restaurant developing and eagerly waiting to try it…
Since it just opened, I thought it would be the perfect location for me to offer my thank you, so we went. I didn’t expect it to be quite so expensive… However! This place turned out to be super swanky. The service is just fabulous. The staff members are kind and professional, attentive without being over the top. You really feel pampered and they don’t leave you wanting for anything. Excellent!!!
The food is delicious. Bread is fluffy, flavorful and free-​flowing. We went for the trio of pasta, which allowed us to sample a few different plates. The spaghetti with sea urchin was pleasantly spicy, the ravioli was meaty with a great cheese sauce and the bacon in the rigatoni made me droooool. Yum!!!
For someone like me, this was a bit of a splurge, but if you are in the mood for a slow lunch and to be pampered and plumped with pasta, this is a great choice!