Am a Massimo fan from Food TV and his place had been on my list for a while. First impressions - Old / uptight crowd. Felt very formal, was packed on a Wednesday - lots of noise and energy...but of the 50 / 60 year old variety. Our server was fantastic - the service was very professional. The menu had some great takes on Classic Italian - portions were generous. We had the Artichokes, The Carpaccio and the Bolognese...All were good - though the carpaccio lacked acidity / depth. I was very impressed with the pasta...would recommend. Wine list was also decent. My negatives are:
1. Price - very expensive - a bit over the top to pay more than 30 for a bowl of pasta, and all starters are in the 20 range...
2. Crowd / Energy - Much more suited to retirees...
Worth trying and Massimo is still a favourite...but think I will stick to watching him on TV.