We had another Friday outing to watch the Mary Jane broadway show starring Rachel McAdams. Because this was very last minute, my partner was able to book this restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen. As we explore more of this area, it’s turning out that there are a good amount of restaurant options especially for Italian food. We made reservations easily for 5:30 PM on a Friday evening. It was noticeable there was a large amount of theater crowds since tables cleared right before 7 and 8 PM.
Ambiance & Service
The restaurant was quite noisy when we walked in. This location used to be Brazil Brazil, which was decent at the time, so we were recalling what the decor differences were. It’s very clear that they did a better job dressing up the restaurant than its past tenant.
In the backside of the restaurant, there was a nice covered patio that looked like it could be great for hosting small parties, or even just requesting to sit. There a lot of natural light that comes in, whereas inside, it was dimly lit.
The service was definitely bustling and attentive. When you pay your bill, they bring a card reader.
Food
The Barbaresco ($20 - left) came from Cantina Del Nebbiolo, Piemonte. This was a dry, medium body red wine, and it complemented our dishes tonight. It was very fruit flavor forward, and it was smooth. Unlike the other Nebbiolo at Amarone Scarletto, this one was very good.
The Watermelon Sugar ($16 - right) came with vodka, fresh watermelon juice, sugar rim, and watermelon garnish. I didn’t like this at all because it was very sweet. My partner thought it was perfect though.
The Polipo Alla Piastra ($23) came with grilled Portuguese octopus, wild rice salad, dried cherries, and pine nuts. The octopus was warm, spongy, and quite delicious. The rice was a little undercooked for us, but the flavors did complement everything. There was some vinaigrette drizzled on top of the rice and veggies.
They gave us complimentary bread with olives, cheese, and charcuterie. We also asked for olive oil on the side, which was good.
The Spaghetti Chitarra ($30) came with crab meat, pistachio, lemon, cream, and marjoram. The spaghetti was homemade, and it was good. It had a slight crunch to it, so perhaps if it was cooked about 30 seconds more, it would’ve been to my liking. The sauce is white, and it has noticeable crab flavors in it. You do get some decent amount of crab meat, though it wasn’t the most sweet or decadent pieces.
The Pollo Parmigiana ($32) came with a breaded Bell & Evans chicken, San Marzano tomatoes, and 2-month aged parmigiano cut into pieces. Under the breaded chicken was some spaghetti with tomato sauce. The chicken was quite delicious, though I wished it was crispy. It felt they layered it with the sauce, so it soaked everything up and lost that texture. The parmigiano cheese had a very deep richness to it that definitely gave it a lot of flavor. The tomatoes were aromatic and could’ve used just a tad more seasoning to really brighten up the tomato flavors a little. In all, this was a filling and pretty good dish. It’s not the best that we’ve had, but for the price, it was a great value.
Final Verdict
We were pleasantly surprised by Sicily Osteria, and if you’re nearby wanting to eat before a show, it’s a great choice.
Yelp Jabs
Meatballs were seasonless. Wagyu meat in red sauce
This Yelper fell for the oldest trick in the book. Cooked wagyu meat, let alone in meat ball form, is just an excuse to price up the dish. Because meatballs are cooked thoroughly into oblivion, you’re not going to really get the value of wagyu flavors that you’re looking for.
We dined outside, and there was another customer also eating outside who was a smoker, and rather than step a reasonable distance away to smoke, or (even better) simply abstain, she for some reason thought a stoop immediately adjacent to the dining area was a good spot to light up.
This is also why we generally prefer dining inside. Even if the restaurant had approached the smoker, it may be within their right to smoke, so there’s nothing the restaurant can do.
Revisions
- May 10, 2024 - Initial revision.