Via Emilia - Review

Intro
Via Emilia - Recommended for price
47 E 21st St, NY NY 10010
Btwn Broadway and Park Ave
Phone: 212-505-3072

Met up D'Artagnan and Maximus Thursday night. Tried to figure out where to go and we settled on the Flatiron district since Mrs Maximus was in the area. Flatiron is a phenomenal area for food and I've always had great food experiences all over this area. Found Via Emilia using NY Magazine as it was recommended by them. Food was decent, service was bad, and the price was outstanding. Either way, as usual it was a great night out with the dudes. Overall, I give the restaurant an 74/100.

My Menu

1) Gnocco Fritto - Recommended
2) Cotecchino Con Fagioli E Salsa Verde - Recommended
3) Potato Croquette (special) - Not Recommended
4) Caramelle Di Castelvetro - Recommended
5) Espresso Panna Cotta - Highly Unrecommended

Dish Comments
1) A pillow of fluffy, chewy potato dough that's hollow on the inside. Comes with a plate of proscuitto, sopressata, coppa and mortadella. The meats are OK, but the gnocco fritto is fun to eat.
2) 3 slices of a soft fatty sausage. Accompanying white beans and salsa verde are decent. Combined all together it's pretty good.
3) Some type of croquette filled with mashed potatoes. This was relatively bland, which is kinda ridiculous since most fried things taste pretty good.
4) Ravioli stuffed with spinach, ricotta, and pork. The pasta is accompanied by prosciutto, arugula, and olive oil. The pasta is cooked well and the flavors all together are good. Can't taste the pork filling though and it's slightly too oily.
5) Super dense panna cotta that has no espresso flavor. D'Artagnan mentioned the texture was like tofu...bleh

Overall Restaurant Experience (74/100)

• Food 7.3/10 – Decent Italian food leaning more towards authentic Italian, rather than Italian-American. Nothing great, but it's decent.
  
• Service 6.5/10 – Waiter was nice but very slow. Food came out on time though. By the time he brought up Maximus's Pelligrino we already had the check.
  
• Atmosphere 7.5/10 – Walls that have streaks of color (kinda like an Andy Warhol painting) and plenty of room in between the dining tables. We sat in a big booth that could have fit 6 people. The crowd consisted of groups of girls and some couples. We got there at 7:30pm on Thursday and we were seated immediately.
  
• Price 8.5/10 – It's rare to find places that are this cheap. Pasta prices are $12-16. Entrees are around $18-22. Food is decent enough and a great deal for the price.
  

Closing Comments
The food is decent, but it's so close to Bar Stuzzichini that I would probably never come back. Still great times with the dudes though.