Rob P.
Yelp
My first thought when I walked in was that this looked like the sort of place that Gordon Ramsay would have visited to make over and turn into a modern restaurant. The decor here looks like it must have when Moro's was founded in 1980. But, while the dim lighting falls on white tablecloths and wallpaper, everything here is clean and well-maintained. The decision to look like 1980 wasn't arrived at for financial reasons, but for the sake of an appreciation for old school Italian dining.
In the best old school traditions, the waiter was dressed in a tuxedo (at lunchtime!), the Caesar salad was assembled at table-side by the waiter. This resulted in the lettuce being overdressed for my liking, but the dressing itself was robust and Parmigiano-Reggiano forward.
Unlike the old school fancy restaurant model where fancy = bad service (I'm looking at you, "The Whitney"), the service here was superb. The diet Coke had too much ice in it - the kind where 5 sips drains it - but the waiter always was there to refill it before it was empty.
I hate to pull out the "my dad was born in Italy" card, but I feel like I have to do that when I come to a place like this. Things really do compare favorably with what papa brought with him from the old country. I believe that minestrone soup needs to be robust, and this one wasn't. It's more of a chunky tomato soup. But, the flavor was deep, making it clear that this had been simmering for hours, deepening the intensity of the tomato.
When you get your menu, you'll see a mention of their veal dishes on the cover, before you've even gotten to the menu itself. That kind of confidence means they must have good veal dishes, right? I took the waiter's recommendation and got the breaded veal with mozzarella (Parmesan cheese is the other option). I have to say, they're right to be this confident: the veal is tender and flavorful. It doesn't quite explode with flavor, but it grows on you. If the amount of food here wasn't so massive, I would happily have finished the whole thing. The potatoes and beans framing the breaded veal, on the other hand, where merely decent. I hate it when the sides steal the spotlight from the main course. No chance of that here.
After we were done, the waiter wrapped the leftovers for us. I was wondering how well a carry-out container would fair jammed into my department's fridge, but I needn't have worried: they wrap the carry-out in plastic wrap, which also keeps the flavors in.
Finally, we were surprised when bowls of fruit and nuts were brought out. This is part of the package, it seems I was too full after everything, but this is a nice touch. I took an apple with me for later.
My only gripe was the price. What you see depicted set me back $25 (before tip). The veal was listed at $13, so you can see how things add up. This was a bit jarring for lunch, but the overall experience was so good that I'm sure I'll be back here again. Next time, I will bring more of an appetite!
