Thursday, May 19, 2011

Lost Cat Found



A bit of good news on this rainy week...or a humorous hipster sign...I really can't tell.

Piatto d'Oro

Sauce and Lady

Walk East on 109th Street, and keep going…and going a bit further –– just pass the giant brightly-lit car wash that floods the street in an eerily glow sits Piatto d’Oro. This Italian restaurant is a quirky hidden gem, decorated with lots of pinks and mint greens, plenty of those classic black and white snapshots, and pink roses on the tables. The décor, the tunes (Louis Prima, of course) and the adorable and attentive Italian staff are staples of many Italian joints, and truth be told I was having a bit of déjà vu. But, “What was it exactly that was making me feel like I’ve been here before in the best way?” I asked myself. Well, I knew instantly what Piatto d’Oro reminded me of when my meal was placed in front of me, and I suddenly wished I had ordered spaghetti and meatballs so my date and I could spaghetti kiss a la Lady and the Tramp. If the waiter came out with an accordion I would have done a few Lady-like shy blinks and kept right on eating.



As any respectable Italian joint knows, it’s all about the sauce, and Piatto d’Oro delivers on that and more. My date and I tried the fried zucchini appetizer ($5.95), penne with vodka sauce ($10.95) and the chicken Sophia Loren ($15.95) (yeah, it's a big breast of chicken (get it?!), and it's stuffed with prosciutto and mozzarella with a shiitake mushroom brown sauce). Everything was completely devoured and then the sauces were soaked up with bread. Go here with someone you're comfortable eating a lot in front of.

Piatto d'Oro
349 E 109th Street (near 1st Ave)
212-828-2929
They also do take-out and delivery.
Also see New York Magazine's review.




I apologize that these photos are a bit "Law and Order" crime scene-esque. The Hipstamatic App can be a bit addictive.



Digging into the fried zucchini.


A complimentary shot of sambuca.