VIBE
First, I love that there's a non-Asian space in the middle of Chinatown. The space is gorgeous and there's plenty of seating around the kitchen, which I like. They also have chairs with backs on them which is perfect for those at the bar who want to linger around a long meal. There were a few groups here so this might be a good place for a party who wants something relatively affordable downtown.
WE ATE
We had the caesar salad to start. It's grilled but I felt it had a bit too much mayo on it . It was okay. Dining companion had the pizza. He said simply it was "good." I had the fettuccine with mushrooms. I thought I was going to get a creamy sauce. It was basically a bunch of cooked mushrooms and parsley. I kid you not, I was going to cook that up for myself BEFORE I went out for dinner for a snack. I get that this place is "simple food" but if I'm paying upwards of $16 to $20 there better be some nonna mafia in the back. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great. Though the server did give me the wrong dish, she handled the situation well and got me the dish I wanted while offering me the other dish. I didn't take it. The wine was very good and unlike Buca, the waitress knew which wine to pair with the dish and why.
That said, I don't think I'd come back here to eat.
To make it worse, I had everyone from the waitress to the cook in front of me to the owner ask me how my meal was and yes, I lied because I didn't really want to make a big deal out of it. It's a lot of pressure! So Yelp is basically my space where I can be an a-hole. I think they knew because I didn't finish my pasta and it's not a good sign when I'm not finishing my meal (if it's good the plate is being licked clean, quite simply).
OBLIGATORY CATCHY REMARK
Love the location. Love the space. Wine was good. Didn't love the food. That's it. Good for a pre-drink at the bar though so you can get a good value meal elsewhere.