01.31.08
Review of Gemma, Saturday November 2007
335 Bowery and East 3rd/East 2nd St. in the Bowery Hotel, 212-505-9100
Great for: tourists, serviceable Italian, people named Gemma
We had late plans in the East Village and had heard this new restaurant in the Bowery Hotel was great, so it worked out perfectly. We got a Saturday 8pm reservation without too much trouble. They had us wait a while when we got there – it seemed they had some large parties – and finally sat us at a small deuce by the door. It was the only one available, so we took it.
We started with the fritto misto, which is shrimp, calamari and vegetables, and quite good. I found it very odd that the dish doesn’t come with marinara sauce, but when I asked the waiter about it, he said that he could bring me some. It was great and I was happy. The Boyfriend got the double cheese and meat plate, which consisted of gorgonzola, pecorino, coppa and mortadella. They were all good as well.
For entrees we ordered the rigatoni with prosciutto, peas and cream and the pork chop on pomegranates and arugula (we think) with ricotta salata. My rigatoni was a satisfyingly big dish that I couldn’t finish. It wasn’t amazing but it was good, with a nice proportion of meat and peas to pasta. It was the right level of creaminess, and the rigatoni were nicely al dente. The Boyfriend liked his pork chop, although the pomegranates didn’t add very much. The ricotta salata was new to us and very yummy. Salata means salted, and basically the cheese is crumbled up and great to eat just like that.
I wasn’t feeling very well so I just had one drink, the aperol spritz. It’s a mixture of aperol (orange-y apéritif), prosecco and club soda and pretty good. Our waiter got mixed up and brought the Boyfriend a bellini instead of a Peroni, which I think was because of the bustle of the big parties. He was a good waiter, but definitely distracted with those other people. I could tell he was trying to pay attention to us and knew what he was doing but was too busy.
I liked the decor of the place, which was old-fashioned-looking yet trendy at the same time. The huge curtains over the French windows are a nice touch. Overall it was a nice place, definitely good if you’re staying in the Bowery Hotel or are in the neighborhood, and don’t feel like a very haute cuisine fussy meal.
I went again in November 2008 – the crostini with chicken liver and parmesan flakes are surprisingly tasty, as is the pizze margerita. The prosciutto is all right.
Rating: 7 / 10
Our cost: $120 (1 drink and 1 beer)
Noise level: probably fine normally, but a bit loud this time with those large groups
Chance of walking in: Medium
