Quality Italian- Parm to Table Cuisine

I need to preface this review in that we all had a lot to drink over the course of this meal; partly due to natural inclinations and partly due to some mistakes on the part of Quality Italian. Sister and I try not to go to places when they first open, in order to allow them to work out some natural kinks first, and since this chicken parm pizza was covered by every outlet and blog out there, we figured that we were due for a try, and that enough time had passed for this restaurant to deftly satisfy the crowds that follow such press and hype. WRONG! But there is some promise…

We arrived early for our 8pm reservation and bellied up to a high-top downstairs, where our waiter was charming and knowledgeable; he tried to sell us on everything that he should, but in a way that showed genuine enthusiasm for the restaurant. He gladly told us about the many offerings on tap, including bellinis, negronis and dirty martinis, and tried in vain to get us to eat some paninis. We did try some deviled eggs and they were not good, the blow torched tops just a little confusing. Also- I want it noted that when we arrived early, we told the hostess downstairs our name and our reservation time. When the rest of our party arrived right on time, we checked in in full with the same hostess, and she sent us upstairs. Upstairs is where things got messy. There were several people milling around the host stand, and it was hard to tell who actually worked there. The HBIC seemed to be a little pocket person of a man, moving flusterdly through the motions of efficiency. He then told us that we need to wait for our table. So we waited. And waited. He finally found told us that our table was cleared and set, so we moved over to the host stand and waited to be taken to the table that he pointed at. Imagine our shock when another hostess lead a different group to that same table. Pocket Person finally found us and explained ” So another party was sat at your table so you need to wait a little longer”. FInally, almost a half hour after our reservation, he found another table for us.

From that point on service was okay, not stellar; they explained that they are newly opened, and bought us a round of drinks. You would think that they would have their eye on us for the rest of the night, but no, service remained painfully slow. So now on to the fun part: the food. The bread on the table was warm and garlicky, and for starters we ordered an Italian chopped salad, scallop sashimi and ricotta with Central Park honey- they are big on that honey. I love an Italian chopped salad, and this one was high-brow, with pepperoni chips instead of chunks; the ricotta was dreamy and creamy and served with perfectly toasted bread, and the scallops were a little smokey. Prosecco, wine wine…Finally the main courses arrived; one friend got the branzino (which I had heard good things about but was too laser focused on my own food to try),another got the lamb chops, and Sister and I split the Chicken Parm Pizza. Sides were fries, corn pudding, maybe something else, and an onion pasta that they sent us for our troubles.

Okay, about the chicken parm: It’s pretty delicious. While the presentation can be dismissed as novel, it truly looks pretty spectacular and the taste is there. They serve the parm pizza with some spices and honey on the side, but we ate it pure. My friend raised questions about how it can be real chicken in that shape, and I don’t really want to think too deeply about it. It is very filling, but I managed to eat a piece and a half. Everyone was raving about the fries, and I quietly got into the onion pasta, which was sort of like a mix between macaroni cheese and onion soup au gratin- sweet onions and gooey cheese, I liked in spite of myself. Lamb and branzino got good reviews, some grumblings about salt.

After an insightful trip to the bathroom, through the now almost empty dining room, I came to this conclusion: Quality Italian is like a first date that you will keep thinking about but not sure if will develop into more than a booty call; when you need some in midtown, its a good bet, but will you go out of your way to see it again? After a few drinks, even the minor flaws seemed minimal, and the food was really tasty. I hope they manage to work out the kinks and take the service to the next level. Sister has no doubts in her mind, she loved loved loved this place and can’t wait to return. I hope she will bring me leftovers…