Off to the Races at Tony's DiNapoli

My fiancé and I are looking for a restaurant where we can have our rehearsal dinner. We are coming to what is perhaps a rather obvious realization that finding a place to seat a big group (maybe like 30 people) during primetime on a Friday night in Manhattan isn’t…so…easy. Not that we’ve put so much effort into this project yet, but our initial research revealed that, due to space limitations, 1.there aren’t a lot of rooms for private parties in this town, 2.most restaurants don’t want you to invade their whole space, and, if so, 3.they will charge an arm and a leg do so. After discussing this, we decided that it’s important to keep all limbs intact.

So I remembered Tony’s Di Napoli on 2nd at 83rd. They opened in 1959 and now have a second location in Times Square. I’ve walked by the Upper East Side location at least a billion times, and in fact my fiancé and I strolled past it on our first date. A few years before that, I shared dinner with two friends, outside at one of the many sidewalk tables. This was memorable, of course due to the excellent company, but also because it was tasty and the portions were gigantic. I knew, from the signage, that they can accommodate big groups but I’d never been inside. So we decided to give the place a look.

Inside, it’s bustling and bi-leveled. We were seated at a table to the right of the restaurant, a few steps down into what felt like a sunken living room. Checkered cloths dress the tables and a chalkboard on one end of the space lists their many traditional Southern Neopolitan dishes. We gazed around, attempting to digest this fun, lively atmosphere.

Turns out the owner is a racing fan, so racecar art is in abundance. Photos of famous drivers cover the walls, a small replica of a red Formula One car dangles from the ceiling, and, in a mural-sized painting at the back of the space, a racecar skillfully speeds alongside the Mediterranean.

It was a Thursday night and the place was packed with large and small groups alike. A table of 12 behind my right shoulder was celebrating a graduation and another family of eight was gathered around a circular table at my left. I was glad to see this, because often in New York, it feels like an imposition to have a large group, like you should apologize if you’re asking for a table of six. Even if a restaurant can accommodate you, you should expect to be sitting on each other’s laps and lower your expectations of the service.

But at Tony’s, there seemed to be quite a few servers speeding efficient laps around the tables. One made a pit stop at ours to deliver a basket of bread with hot pepper oil. I made a silent vow, after taking this picture, that I would have only one piece (after all, The Informer must be thorough), but this bread was so fresh with perfectly crisp crust and a smattering of slightly toasted sesame seeds that I…well, had trouble putting on the so-called brakes.

Our server, Irini, soon pulled up for pleasant introductions. We asked her which salad the women next to us were enjoying. Tony’s Salad: a simple combination of arugula, plum tomatoes, red onions and basil with balsamic vinaigrette. We copied these fellow patrons and did not regret it.

Tony’s selection of pasta, veal, chicken and seafood dishes is truly vast. They mostly specialize in those mounded family-style platters that serve two or three people. This is a good situation for our larger purpose, but that night we were pleased to discover that they have recently implemented a menu of individual portions.

I chose the Rigatoni with Vodka Sauce and Mushrooms and my fiancé opted for the old-standby: Spaghetti and Meatballs. After we ordered this, however, we did experience some regret. This is because the women next to us were served a chicken dish still sizzling in the pan it was cooked in. This looked and smelled amazing. Part of the fragrance was “stemming” from an oversized branch of rosemary resting across the top.

I briefly interrupted their meal to find out that this was the Chicken Saltimbocca, that night’s special, with prosciutto, spinach, melted cheese, and what seemed to be an extremely savory sauce. They confirmed that it was indeed delicious. I asked my fiancé if it would be rude to reach over and try it for myself. He recommended against it. Likewise, I did not help myself any of their sangria, even though they had a whole pitcher of it. In fact, lots of people around the room were drinking sangria. No matter, I was quite content with my glass of Cactus Creek Red Zinfandel.

Our food arrived and it was excellent; I’m pretty sure the women next to us were glancing over with jealousy in between their animated chitchat. The vodka sauce had the perfect balance of tomatoes and cream. I appreciated the sprig of basil sprouting out of the top like a little tree. My fiancé’s bowl of spaghetti was picture-perfect. When I asked him to describe the meatballs in one word, he answered without missing a beat, “zesty.” I don’t eat red meat these days, but in the process of sampling his pasta, we inadvertently reenacted the iconic scene from The Lady and the Tramp, the one where they end up tasting the same string of spaghetti resulting in a kiss…that’s amore! Okay, I’m kidding, but I have a feeling that this scene was filmed out back.

Again, in the name of being thorough, we ordered the brownie sundae. A mint leaf stood like a flag on top of a whip cream mountain. Their consistent use of fresh herbs as ingredients and garnishes impressed me. An extremely rich and gooey brownie way underneath made the arduous excavation project well worth it.

I took note of the fact that the service was speedy, yet not at all rushed. Afterwards, we talked to Elizabeth, the event coordinator, about big parties. They have three different packages at three reasonable price points per person. Bar packages are extra and of course there’s tax and gratuity to add in, but this would still come out to be about 50 percent less than anywhere else we’ve checked out so far. She showed us their private room, which was also bustling and, remarkably, can accommodate 80 people. Our party of 30ish would only take up part of it, so there would likely be other parties going on in there at the same time. I like that this huge, open space has some windows to the street, so you don’t feel like you’re holed up in the back.

We don’t know yet if Tony’s will be the location of our rehearsal dinner, but it’s on the short list and we had a good night there. The food is extremely fresh and I feel confident in the service: though it’s a big engine, it seems to run quite smoothly. Whether you’ve got two, or ten (or 80) in your party, it’s a fun place to try. Just make sure you’re hungry and you fasten your seatbelt. Vroom vroom...