Spirito 9th street bet 4th and 5th Ave

veets · May 2007

This is in incarnation of the Boccacio Grill and Bistro Moderno.. I have now eaten at Spirito 3 times and feel I can review it..This is a newly opened restaurant and there are kinks but the food was excellent. Small menu but a mix of fish, meat and pasta on the mains and traditional Italian apps for first course and salad. Everything was well prepared ..nice fresh ingredients and generously portioned. The restaurant is lovely.. There is an upstairs outside seating area that is enclosed... very charming though you are inbetween 9th and 8th street.. not so charming location but the tiles on the patio floor and the lighting make you think you are somewhere else. The owners ARE Italian and understand Italian food as it is served in Italy.. don't look for lasagne here.... doesnt exist.. You want that stuff go to Aunt Suzies.. This is a cut above, though moderately priced.
So here is a place that is doomed to failure unless word of mouth propells it to sucess. I certainly hope that happens.. the wine list is well chosen.. one of these dinners I ate with my friend who is a wine salesman (for 30 years) and that is his comment... the wait staff was attentive and friendly and not intrusive..
Try it.. and if you like it recommend to one friend.. that happens enough the place will suceed.!!

reader · May 2007

I had a very nice dinner there with my teenagers. The food is excellent
and the service is nicely balanced to make you feel attended to but not
rushed.

I had the lamb chops, which were spectacular and cooked exactly
as I requested, my son had a pasta with seafood which he loved.
The fried calamari and artichoke appetizer was outstanding. I would like to see more of
something on the main dish plates instead of two very small rectangles of polenta.

I liked the apple tart with sour apple ice cream best of the deserts we tried.

When I was there, they were still on a Cash only basis.

veets · May 2007

I am sure the cash only basis will change.. I have eaten there 3 times (cause I live on this block) and first time everyone in there was someone the owners knew. They explained that they opened that night to test the kitchen and most people were friends of the owners.. That night was great!!. The other 2 meals were excellent as well..
So many people pass this place.. coming home from subway.. but few will decice to walk back when they relx and change their clothes..It really is special and ill only sucees if word of mouth makes them popular.

I did have the apple tart and it was really special!!!

reader · May 2007

They said they were waiting for credit card system approval, but Chase's
ATMs are only a few steps away.

gretel · May 2007

so is this place different then Futura ( which used to be there?) I really disliked the dinner my husband and I had there...

veets · May 2007

Yes totally different.. not the same owner and not the same food and the space has been re-done.. they got rid of that terrible gaudy chandelier and re did the bar.. room looks much nicer.

reader · May 2007

It is much better all around than Futura, I had one horrible experience
there and I never went back.

As Veets said, new owners, more appealing menu, fabulous food and
nice people.

I hope you try it.

PS, I am not affiliated in any way with this resturant.

ljnd · May 2007

Incredible. I was there tonight with my bestest of friends, who had been there before, but I hadn't. They were soooo accommodating - my friend has walking pneumonia, so they closed the French doors for us so the breeze wouldn't blow on her; the bufalo mozzarella and tomato and avocado salad was TO DIE FOR; the osso buco risotto was just swoon-worthy. I had the Montepulciano; she had the Salice Salentino - their wine list is really reliable and good.

So happy they're in the nabe!

veets · May 2007

Reader and Ljnd.. I am so Happy that you ahd a good dining experience here.. We ate there again Frin night,, a beautiful meal! But at 9pm there were only 4 couples eating there.. the death nell!! I want to offer to appraoch the owners with suggestions of publicizing the place. I hate to think certain locaitons are doomed but I am thinking if possible.. yeah this place might me.. It is jsut such a pleasure to walk up the block for dinner and enjoy the fod and service so much. I swear I don't own this place.. just like it.. alot.. try it once.. You will be convinced!!

diane · May 2007

Subject: Spirito

Thanks for the recommendation. I am looking forward to going ASAP.

sweet tea · May 2007

what are the prices like?

ljnd · May 2007

VERY reasonable. Last night, we each had the risotto special, and an appetizer apiece, plus two glasses of wine each, and it came to $100.

veets · May 2007

Ljnd.. Sounds like it was one of those times (I have many of those times eating out) where the food bill and the booze bill were almost equal. I have to laugh when I go to coco roco for lunch where the lunch special is so reasonable and I am having so much fun I have those 2 glasses of wine and the wine costs twice what the food does.
Just a thought.. If you are eating out with a friend and you decide in advance that you want 2 glasses each of the same wine with the meal.. buy the bottle and you will each have a half glass over what you really wanted and the price will be less. But in this case your wine choice was not the same so the idea wouldn't have floated. Still.. That seems reasonable for that kind of food, booze and service.

ljnd · May 2007

Yeah, I usually do this but we had different tastes last night...

reader · June 2007

I had dinner at Spirito again last night. It lived up to my expectations.
We were in a group of 6, everyone ordered different things and everyone
enjoyed them there was a lot of tasting going on.

The Thursday night special was wonderful, it was gnocchi with mozzeralla, tomatos and eggplant, served in a casserole.

My husband was not sure he was going to like a place that didn't have
chicken parm on the menu, but we convinced him to try one of the
awesome pastas (tomato and pancetta) and he was happy.

It was so funny, we bumped into some friends from Manhattan who had
traveled to have dinner there as they know one of the owners. They were surprised that the place was so quiet given the overall quality of
the food, wine and service.

I hope this place gets discovered soon, there is so much blah food in PS
pretending to be good. This place is a treasure.

veets · June 2007

This treasure is gonna get buried unless the owners do some heavy advertising, or give away coupons or do something extraordinary to spread the word. Word of mouth can make or break a restaurant but given the previous Restaurants that were run (or run in to the ground) in this space Spirito may need to exorcise some demons and curses out of the space. I f you check the last DoH the report is fine so at least so far they don't have to worry about the wrath of the Vermin G-ds!

If you are thinking of trying it... Do!

I would be really suprised if you aren't pleased with this food.

seussan · June 2007

We just had dinner there tonight. It was quite good. Oh and it was packed - upstairs and downstairs.

joanjettofarc · July 2007

had another great dinner at Spirito last week. LOVE THIS PLACE!

veets · July 2007

Spread the word!! Yeah I think they attracting enough steady people to make this place survive. They have a prix fixe price for early diners .. Think they are considering the neighborhood

ljnd · July 2007

My neighbor is a major-league recruiter for the top restaurants in NYC (Per Se, Mario Batali's restaurants, Danny Meyer's) and she LOVES Spirito. She's been talking it up to everybody. It's her favorite neighborhood place. I think they'll be okay.

teafolks · July 2007

We ate there and spoke to the owner for a while. It was great. You can tell they truly care about the complete dining experience--pairing wines, fresh ingredients, and the kind of well though at service that effortlessly moves you from course to course without making you feel rushed.

I highly highly recommend.

reader · July 2007

I passed by Spirito a Friday night, only a few tables were occupied.

Their blackboard states that they will have a prixfixe meno from 5-8 for about $20.00.

If you haven't gone there yet to have delicious food and lovely service,
you should make a point of trying it.

brooke lynn knight · July 2007

Well, I was all psyched to try Spirito last Thursday. My husband and I got a babysitter for the occasion, so we could enjoy a rare "date night." We went at 7 pm, and we could see from down the block that the tables outside were empty, which was great, because that was where we planned to sit. As we entered, we heard this loud thumping dance music. I wouldn't call it deafening, but definitely not relaxing and not easy to talk over. We turned around and walked right out. Too bad -- there was not a soul in the place and the staff was standing around looking rather forlorn. The music would have been perfectly appropriate in a singles bar, but it seemed so out of place for a white tablecloth-type Italian restaurant.

I know, we could have asked for the music to be turned down. I've done this many, many times in the past and have concluded it's not worth the hassle. Rarely have I ever actually succeeded in getting the music turned down to "grown-ups at dinner" level. Most sit-down restaurants don't have loud music, so it's easier to walk out and go somewhere else. Which is what we did.

It may well be that the rest of their patrons really enjoy this type and volume of music. On the other hand, we didn't see any patrons that night, so who knows? Anyway, it'll be a long while before we have another babysitter night, so Spirito will have to wait.

veets · July 2007

Brooke.. so sad to hear you had this experience but u were so right not to bother with going in if the music was offensive..

I have gone in to Spirito, when it was not cowded and asked them to lower the volume.. They have done that.. I am shameless.. I have waked int here with a Biillie Holiday cd in my bag and asked them to put this one in... and they have.. But.... for sure... Quality food does not blend with techno music... and if they don't figure that obvious conneciton out.. they are doomed!!!!

brooke lynn knight · July 2007

Billie Holiday? Veets! I'm in awe of your gumption and your musical taste!

Me, if it was my place, I'd probably stick with the classics for their wide appeal. A little Frankie, a little Dino maybe, a little Tony -- it's an Italian joint, how can you go wrong? And some Billie for sure. But the thing that I've noticed is that sometimes the people in charge of the music -- and it's not always the management, depending on who's around that day -- often forget that the music is for the customers, not for them. And it's been my experience that asking people to turn down the music often results in having it turned down about .5 decibels, and even if we ask again (always nicely, of course), they usually only turn it down about another .5 decibels. And they usually look annoyed by that time.

So now I just steer clear of the whole shebang by walking out when I hear music I don't want to eat to.

But I applaud your method. Must be one of the benefits of being a regular and a well-known woman-about-town!

Hey, they owe you for all the free publicity!

rose · July 2007

I hate loud music in restaurants. My husband and I went to Kitchen Bar for brunch last weekend and the music was so loud that it was hard to have a conversation. I walked out of there with a headache. The food was pretty good, but I would never go back, just because I don't want to be subjected to music at that volume.

eatshoplocal · July 2007

i wanted to try spirito - it was pouring outside and my husband and i ran in but then ran back outside when we heard the music! please if you know them say something! it was techno dance music! and loud!

veets · September 2007

Subject: Spirito Revived

I must bring this post to the top again because this evening I had a meal in this restaurant and it was just wonderful.. I approached the space causiously.. expecting to hear an onslaught of techno music but was pleasantly suprised when we heared some music that was so in the background that it allowed us to approach..

We ate upstairs on their "back porch" and the evening was just glorious and the food was great. 3 people... grilled lamb, pasta with brocoli rabe, and veal dish... we split that between us.. Everything was just delicious. We ordered dessert.... 15 minutes prep.. well worth the wait... a chocolate concoction in what looked like a little clay plant pot and an apple tarte with green apple gelato.. we had perfectly prepared caps with that.. 2 diet cokes, one wine.. $100 for 3 people..... I am back to when I first recommended this place.. It is a hidden treasure and if it doesn;t get discovered soon.... it is doomed!! If you are around on Labor Day weekend have a great meal there..

Disclaimer: I have no connection with this place.
My husband the pianist is not working this weekend because the Burger Bar is closed for Health Code Violations!!

Lol!!

veets · September 2007

Oh one other thought... This place is only packed if there is a funeral in Duffy's Funeral Parlor on 9th Street. I think the funeral place recommends Spirito to the mourners if they ask for a place to eat after the service.

Spirito 9th street bet 4th and 5th Ave

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