NYC's Greatest Old-School Italian Restaurants, From Oldest To Newest - New York - The Infatuation

"Ok, so we'll admit the food at Bamonte’s is not particularly memorable. It might prompt your Williamsburg-born friend—or Mr. Scaglione over at the next table—to say something like “the food here used to be better. ” But none of that matters, because Bamonte’s palatial dining room has been one of the city’s most fantastic places to have a big, festive dinner under a glittering chandelier since 1900. Sure, the martinis taste like rubbing alcohol, and the veal parm is just perfectly alright. But the parking lot is full every night of the week—always with at least one Escalade with New Jersey plates—and after one meal here, you’ll think of it for every big night out, whenever the vibes matter a whole lot more than what’s on your plate." - willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah, neha talreja