Tocco

Had dinner at Tocco last night, what a wonderful surprise. Friends took us there and said order anything; so we did and lots of it. Here is the report (and we are great foodies).

Appetizers: Mozzarella burrata (fresh mozzarella that has two textures, it's creamy in the center). Impossible to find in the City and a gourmet's treasure. The owner imports it from Italy himself-heven.
The thin crust pizza with prosciutto et fungi (though slightly soggy in the center), was yeasty and flavorful. Will absolutely order it again. Maybe now I should mention they put a plate of the best  italian tomato bread on the table when you arrive.
Salad was regular.
The spaghetti carbonata was excellent, not too rich, the smoked bacon best quality.
My friends had the special, I don't remember the name, ravioli  filled with meat, and they raved.

Could not have dessert-too full!

The bill was so reasonable...
Nothing was over $16
My favorite place from now on.

Went to Tocco last night, reading reviews now and am so upset with Yelpers I have to write a review.  Please don't listen to them on certain points about this restaurant.

Tocco is a truly authentic Italian restaurant.  The owner is from Italy, most of the ingredients are FROM Italy (hence slightly higher prices than effing Olive Garden), the portion sizes are like those in Italy, the service is not slow, it is relaxed like it is IN Italy because they savor each moment of their meals.

I was sitting in the restaurant and thinking about how much it reminded me of how things are in Italy and it made me so happy. I don't know what everyone's beef with the projections are but I loved it. Watching the landscapes encouraged lots of conversation about Italy and how much we want to go back. Our server, Blair, was awesome. She knew her menu, was very personable, and let us enjoy each course without pestering us to get the next course order in. Like in Italy.

We had the porchetta ( a must), gnocco fritto, insalata Tocco, lasagne, papardelle with sausage (BEST thing we got) and their version of tiramisu which was to die for.  

I hope you go to Tocco and enjoy it the way I did and appreciate it for what it actually is (an authentic Italian restaurant) and not for what it's not (Americanized, cheap, too-large portioned, fast.)

Mangia!

Although we live in the neighborhood, we always seem to forget that Tocco is a great option. We took some friends there last night and had a wonderful experience. The decor is hip and modern, the atmosphere is fun and lively, and noise level is such that you can actually participate in group conversations and be heard. I've had enough of restaurants where you are packed in like sardines with music and noise so loud you have to strain to hear your fellow diners.

We started the meal with an antipasto platter, which we've had before and it was delicious. Perfect for four to share. My husband is a huge fan of the pizzas here so he ordered one for the table to share. It was thin, with crisp edges and light. Yum!

I had the fish special - a very generous portion served with escarole and rosemary roasted potatoes. Again, excellent. Everyone else had parpadelle with pork ragout and there wasn't much left on anyone's plate by the end of the meal. Bruno the owner is super friendly, loves to stop by the tables and check in with the diners to make sure everything is up to par and chit chat.  He surprised us (again) with a round of muscato which went down perfectly with dessert.

My husband is Italian and comes from a family of chefs and he was very impressed with everything. All in all, a delicious meal. We MUST make a better effort to come here regularly. Deelish!!!!