Forget that Starr has five other restaurants on or near the fashionable square. Borromini is where diners want to be right now. Why? Because the wait for this place (more than a year in the making) has been so long and the buildup so big and the anticipation so high that now that the place is finally open, everybody wants first bragging rights.
Don't ask us how, but we managed to snag a Saturday night reservation in prime time last night. Here's what we found:
- Located on the first two floors of what was a spacious Barnes & Noble bookstore, the place is big, boisterous and boozy with large bar areas on both levels. The walls are lined with bottles of liquor lit from behind in strategic shapes and sizes and the huge crowd last night was loud and showy.
- The staff, as with all Starr restaurants is well trained and highly professional without being haughty. All staff members are helpful and do everything they can to be accommodating, and they do it with a smile.
- Though the joint boasts an Italian menu, there's nothing about the decor that is particularly Italian and you really don't get an Italian vibe from the staff either. In fact, Borromini looks more French than Italian as it's almost a carbon copy of Starr's hugely successful nearby French brasserie, Parc. A big difference is that this place doesn't have as much al fresco dining as Parc and does not seem quite as old school.
- And the food? Well, the Pane Focaccia ($9), a crispy, delicate presentation flavored with rosemary and sea salt was nothing short of heavenly. The 100 Layer Lasagna ($28) wasn't really 100 layers (far as we could tell) but it was delicate and tasty. The Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese ($23, pictured above) with parmigiano reggiano was light and similar to the same dish we've enjoyed in Bologna. And the Chicken Milanese ($31) with arugula, tomatoes, lemon and parmigiano was basically a very large, thin chicken cutlet. We had the house gelato for dessert and it was forgettable -- sort of icy instead of creamy.
- The food was good -- not spectacular, not necessarily off the charts, but okay for now.
- Our suggestion: give the place a bit more time. Right now it's a mob scene and appears to be somewhat overwhelmed. Plus, they haven't even started serving lunch yet. They say that's "coming".
- Borromini is still getting its act together. We'll be back again -- but with not quite as much breathless anticipation the next time. And, we'll try to avoid it on a Saturday night and nestle ourselves into a cozy corner booth.
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