Giorgio's of Gramercy
In our quest to find all the “Baked Alaska” restaurants in NYC, this was one that I was surprised to have it priced reasonably. Looking at the menu, everything was affordable compared to the rest of Manhattan. I’ll be honest that I have never heard of this restaurant, and this came up randomly in my search. We easily made a reservation for 2 for 5:30 PM on a Friday.
Ambiance & Service
The interior felt like a fairly romantic type of setting. It was very dim lighting, and many of the seating areas had benches with pillows. We were seated at a corner in the second session, and there was a velvet drape behind me. They seated another couple behind that curtain, and we could barely hear their conversations.
The music was sometimes loud and sometimes decent. It wasn’t disturbing enough where it disrupted our conversation.
The service was pretty speedy, but it felt like there were not a whole lot of diners.
Food
The complimentary bread came room temperature and a side of olive oil. The olive oil was pretty mild, but the bread was good for soaking up the oils from our appetizers.
The 2021 Chianti Classic ($18) came from Castello Di Radda, Chianti, Italy. This is a very classic Chianti wine from Tuscany with a crisp, acidic, deep tannins, and red ruby and medium body flavors. It matched quite well with the veal parmesan.
The Charred Octopus ($24) came with harissa romesco, marble potatoes, and swiss chard. The octopus was a little rubbery in texture and slightly overcooked. The harissa and swiss chard was nice though.
The Grilled Colossal Shrimp ($23) came with 3 jumbo wild caught Argentinian red shrimp and chimichurri. The sizes of these shrimps were no joke. They grilled the shell with some nice char, and the shrimp meat was plump and juicy.
The Veal Parmesan ($42) came with fresh mozzarella, pomodoro sauce, and linguini marinara. This was definitely a dish for 2 people for a pretty affordable price. The veal though was overcooked and a bit tough to eat. The linguini noodles were nice and chewy though they seemed thicker than normal linguini noodles, which I was fine with. The pomodoro sauce was full of that acidic, tomato flavor.
The Baked Alaska ($12) came with sponge cake, strawberry & vanilla gelato, and Italian meringue. This is what we came for, and surprisingly, this was one of our favorites. It did not have any alcohol burning, but the marshmallow exterior was definitely charred as if it were flamed on the side. The inside was pretty basic with just sponge cake and strawberry and vanilla gelato. The strawberry gelato was very tasty and paired well with everything.
Final Verdict
Giorgio’s a very no-frills, generous portioned Italian restaurant, where the value proposition is pretty good for a night out. If you do make it out to this area for this restaurant, I’d recommend that you save some room for the baked Alaska dessert.
Yelp Jabs
The meatballs were hard and dry, despite an abundance of sauce. There are plenty of better Italian choices in NYC
I predicted that the meatballs would be very dense, hence “dry”. Many Italian restaurants in the city pack the meatballs densely with a lot of meat, so they end up being heavy.
Everyone else I was with enjoyed their meals however I was underwhelmed. Not that it was bad , but it didn’t wow me. I had a beet salad and the fish special - halibut. I was bummed.
This Elitist’s order of beet salad and halibut was the epitome of underwhelming. This place makes their own pasta, which was probably the smarter choice to try.
Revisions
- Oct 4, 2024 - Initial revision.