We dined at Locanda Verde during NY Restaurant Week last month and I'm happy to say that it lives up to the hype as far as I'm concerned. They pretty much offered their regular menu which was awesome since a lot of places actually create RW menus that don't necessarily include their signature fare. The decor has an old school tavern feel and
a relaxed atmosphere with dark wood tables, leather banquettes and metal bistro chairs. Unfortunately they didn't allow photos of the interior so you'll just have to take my word for it. We were seated in the front of the dining room by the coffee bar and it was rather drafty there. The people next to us actually kept their coats on for the duration of their meal. It probably didn't help that the temperature outside was below 20 degrees that day. Their rustic Italian food was excellent enough to make us forget the cold for a little while. Everything was seasoned and cooked just right. I don't usually eat bread and found it hard to lay off the focaccia. My roasted skate entree was delicious. Hubster's fire-roasted garlic chicken was tasty, juicy and quite substantial. The portion was like half a chicken. My favorite dish might've been the roasted brussel sprouts with pancetta and pecorino that we ordered as a side. The service we experienced was adequate, neither impressively good or bad. We ventured into the lobby of the adjoining Greenwich Hotel which is also owned by actor Robert De Niro to warm up afterwards. It kind of felt like sitting in someone's living room which was rather pleasant at the time. We plan to return there for brunch when the weather warms up.
