My dear friend, who appreciates good food, recommended Armani Restauranti for lunch. With memories of the superb meal I experienced at the Fifth Avenue location about a decade ago, I booked it with a Connecticut friend who was in town. We had an eye on their reasonable 2-course $75 prix fixe.

The bread service is worth-the-calories with crisp skinny breadsticks, salty bread crisps and warm sour dough bread with a chewy crust.

Our meal was less than stellar, including each of our first courses returned to the kitchen.  What I can recommend are the seasonal salad with pickled daikon and the Pappardelle, Courtyard Ragu dusted with Pecorino.

When Conrad, the manager, stopped by asking how we liked our meal, I inquired,”Would you really like to know?”

We shared all our issues, along with suggestions. He listened inventively, offering us a glass of wine for our troubles. We mentioned that a staff member had confirmed a birthday at the table but then never did anything.

After Conrad left the table, he returned with a group of servers singing Happy Birthday and presenting a merengue, strawberries and whipped cream dessert with a happy birthday white chocolate disc and lit candle.

Although our meal that day was disappointing,  Conrad turned the situation around by showing he cared, taking a page from Will Guida’s “Unreasonable Hospitality.”

 

Armani Ristorante
Upper East Side
760 Madison Avenue
NY, NY 10065
1.212.207.1902
armani-ristorante-new-york/