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| - We were intrigued by the carbonara, on the menu outside of the door. We have travelled a lot this year, and carbonara is one of my husbands favorites. In Italy, except for one restaurant, it was disappointing, even to the point of having to return scrambled eggs on pasta back to the kitchen. Shame on you Rome! Had a reasonable one in New York, but, then the waiter came over with powdered parmesan. Sad. We were invited to sit by a charming manager, (AJ) who was really charming to watch. He is the epitomy of front of house, checking on tables, and being very attentive. Our waitress (Florence) was great. We even "tested" her a bit, and she rose to the challenge. (We both worked in restaurants for years, and recognize really good service. WIne refilled at the perfect time, attentive without being cloying, friendly but efficient. The crab cakes were full of sweet, perfectly spiced (well, just a tad of salt maybe, but almost perfect. My clams Arriabatta were perfectly seasoned, and the clams still had that lovely fresh from the ocean saltiness and tender. The carbonara was exactly what we were looking for, al dente noodles lightly swathed in the perfect carbonara, with a lovely applewood bacon. The veal was nicely seasoned, not too saucy, and a nicely dressed whipped potato. And it seemed that there were many satisfied customers that night, because for some strange reason, there was laughter all over the place. Infectious happiness all around. Wish this place was at home, where service and properly cooked carbonara is rare...
You know, it's hard to give a perfect five for a restaurant, but we couldn't find one thing wrong with this place, at least not on the night we were there! We loved it and I'd feel guilty dropping this to four. It deserves a five!
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