We were running errands around 5th Avenue, and this restaurant was on my partner’s list. I learned that my partner picked this restaurant because it was on Sex & The City, so I had very low expectations. We stopped by around 5:30 PM on a Friday night, and we were able to walk in without reservations. The restaurant itself is at the bottom of the staircase as you walk in. We were seated in one of the private booths, which was quite comfortable and serene.
Ambiance & Service
The decor of the restaurant felt very posh with some velvet and high ceilings. It had a mix of hotel lounge vibes and upscale luxury. When you walk down the stairs, they have a piano and a lounge area. There’s another small set of stairs where there is the host booth. The booth was quite nice because it can fit 4 people comfortably, and they sat just the two of us. In addition, they have clear glass panes in your backs, so it feels pretty quiet in terms of noise. The lighting was dim and semi-romantic.
The service was quite attentive and very fast. The waitress made some good suggestions on wine and checked in on our table in the right cadence.
Food
The complimentary parmesan crisp tasted basically like parmesan chips, which was pretty good.
The Pooch ($22 - left) came with Toast vodka, lychee, and St. Germain. It was sweet, mixed well, and had bold lychee flavors.
The Sangiovese ($17 - right) came from Ravazzi, Chianti Riserva DOGC, 2019. This was medium body, and it was surprisingly a decent Chianti. I generally am not a huge fan of this wine, but this one was actually quite pleasant. It was medium body, light, and worked well with the pork chop.
The Meatballs ($22) came with whipped ricotta, tomato, and basil. These were pretty dense, but they also had pretty good flavors. I think for the price, it was a little expensive since it’s really just round meatballs. The sauce was pretty good, albeit nothing super special about it.
The Linguini alle Vongole ($36) came with cockle clams, aglio, olio e peperoncino. The noodles were cooked perfectly al dente. The sauce though was a little peculiar. Perhaps it was the clams, but the sauce lacked enough seasoning and flavors to make the dish really stand out. I’m guessing it didn’t have enough salt, or it just was a bit too one dimensional.
The Grilled Double Cut Pork Chop ($39) came with cipollini agrodolce. This was surprisingly very good and large, and the pork chop was cooked perfectly. There were little sweet peppers on top of the pork chop. On the side, they served some white pimenta which was creamy and pretty flavorful. For this price point and if you’re as big of a fan of pork chop as I am, this is a must get.
They gave us complimentary biscotti, which tasted like how it looked.
Final Verdict
Our experience at Cucina 8 1/2 was surprisingly good, despite the attention that Sex & The City gave it. The price was actually pretty decent, and the flavors on some dishes were pretty decent. If you’re around the area and all the other Italian restaurants are booked, Cucina 8 1/2 is a pretty good option.
Yelp Jabs
Overall, the meal was delicious, albeit expensive. The bill was over $400. Granted, we ordered a lot of food and drinks.
This Elitist pointed out that the meal was expensive because they ordered a lot of food and drinks. I suppose I would expect the price to continue to climb higher as you order more food.
There wasn’t a happy hour cocktail selection that appealed to me, so I asked if I could have the Cosmopolitan on your happy hour menu, without the extra ingredients (just the vodka). I was told ’no’… that the restaurant does not do substitutions. I said I didn’t think it was a substitution, as it was on the menu; I was just asking for certain ingredients to be omitted. The server said no, again. I asked her if she would check. She did, returned, and said no. She asked me if I would like a full priced drink, instead.
Typically restaurants are really strict on happy hour selections and will not allow substitutions or modifications. It may actually cost the restaurant more money if they exclude items from the happy hour item due to spoil or unused components. In addition, some parts of the cocktail may have been pre-mixed, so they can’t really separate the ingredients out.
Revisions
- Jun 30, 2023 - Initial revision.