Immaculate Infatuation

Since people have been bitching that we don’t get uptown enough, we turned to the Infatuation street team to suggest a local UES favorite. Ears popping, noses bleeding, we survived the trip to the north face and even lived to write about it.

An import from Nantucket, Sfoglia is one of the few upper east side joints that, if transported to any other part of reality (below 14th st), wouldn’t feel out of place. The front room feels like you’ve walked into an Italian market with shelves of food and baskets of produce greeting you in the entry way. Mis-matched vintage tables, stone walls and an array of assorted furniture bring a homey vibe to the front room. The back room is bigger and brighter, but still sports that same charm that makes you feel at ease the moment you enter Sfoglia. You can just sense that you are in for some good Italian cooking. A word to the wise, lean heavily on the pasta when ordering, that’s what separates them from the pack.

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Frank Prisinazo (Frank, Lil’ Frankies) pretty much has a monopoly over the Italian game in the East Village. Supper, his slightly more upscale Italian institution, has been mobbed since the day it opened. They don’t take reservations, but they do have a nice wine bar next door to hang at while you wait. For a cash only operation (both the restaurant and wine bar), the wine list is steep. It’s surprising that there aren’t more two- digit options. The food menu however, is packed with well executed, moderately priced Italian favorites in addition to the always changing specials (the reason we keep coming back). The seats outside on the sidewalk are nice, but we prefer this dimly lit spaghetti haunt on a freezing cold night the when oven in the middle of the room is keeping everyone warm.

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More so than any other section of NYC, West Village restaurants have a common neighborhood feel to them. Like the people who flock to them, these spots are understated, stylish and well groomed. The current king of the scene? Cafe Cluny. It doesn’t get much cuter (did I just say that?) than this place as it’s nestled on the ideal corner of W. 4th and W. 12th. Cluny is money for breakfast and a reliable option for lunch and dinner as well. It’s pretty much a can’t miss for all kinds of Infatuation “Perfect For” categories including Chronic Brunch , Neighborhood Hang , Date Night and After Work Drinks & Dinner. Next time you’re grabbing food in the WV, avoid the two hour wait at Joseph Leonard, don’t even consider The Place next door and get your Cluny on.

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We’ve been meaning to get to this Tribeca favorite for a while now, and we’re glad we finally did. The Harrison is the exactly kind of restaurant that we love – nice but not fancy, classy but not stuffy, with excellent food and unflappable consistency. It’s a great all-purpose dinner destination, and apparently that’s no secret. Most nights, the restaurant is operating at capacity, hosting a meal to all walks of New York life: singles, couples, neighborhood families, celebs, and models on dates with old guys. Why? Well because he’s got a lot of money and probably gives her drugs. Oh…why such a diverse crowd? Because The Harrison is one of the few places in town that gets it done no matter what you’re out for.

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Kefi made the jump from tiny successful neighborhood restaurant to bigger successful neighborhood restaurant about two years ago. The original incarnation pre-dates this website (as does anything that’s had a second birthday), and we decided a visit to the Columbus Ave. location would do both you and us some good. We were pleased to find that the prices are still surprisingly low, the service still relaxed and friendly, and UWS locals are still hanging out and talking about books or whatever. We like Kefi because it’s a restaurant with something for everyone on the menu, and it’s multi-purpose like a Swiss Army knife. A date, lunch with moms, Greek Easter (Greekster?) brunch, a night out with the ladies…it all works. Also, if you can somehow manage to eat dinner between 5:00pm and 6:00pm, the three course prixe fixe meal costs only $16.95. You don’t need to be a member of AARP or anything. That’s a straight up deal.

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