dinin and dishi
Sep 03,2006
I was recently at Via Allegro and IMHO, it can't touch Zucca. Zucca is small, with impecable and friendly service, and great food at reasonable (for the city) prices. Via Allegro is huge, impersonal, outrageously priced and so loud once they fill up that you have to shout to be heard across the table. But if you really know your wines and want to spend the money, Allegro's wine list is so massive they practically have to wheel it around the restaurant.
At Allegro, the average meat entree is between $35 - 50 (market prices). The tasting menu is $98 per person (without wine pairings). I had the lamb trio and found it quite underwhelming for the $50 price. It lacked flavour. My husband had their "signature" veal chop (also around the 50$ mark) and didn't find it particularly special. We were there on a Tuesday night and the place was filled with very large tables. The service for our little trio suffered from beginning to end as the wait staff tried to set up tables and serve the increasing number of large tables.
If you have a huge expense account and want to impress a business associate and not have to spend too much time talking to them, pick Allegro. If you want great food and memorable service for reasonable prices, pick Zucca.
Share on Twitter
