Saturday, November 2, 2013

Avoce- Flatiron

Big place, looks expensive...not far from Madison Square

I can just see a lot of business execs eating lunch here

But let us check Yelp--yeah, and suits its intended audience pretty well


A Voce

3.5 star rating
204 reviews Rating Details
Category: Italian  [Edit]
41 Madison Ave
(at 26th St)
New York, NY 10010
Neighborhood: Flatiron
(212) 545-8555
Make a Reservation
Nearest Transit Station:
28 St. (4, 6, 6X)
23 St. (N, R)
23 St. (4, 6, 6X)
Hours:
Mon-Fri 12 pm - 2:30 pm
Mon-Thu 5:30 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm
Attire:
Dressy
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Street
Price Range:
$$$
Good for Groups:
Yes
Good for Kids:
No
Takes Reservations:
Yes
Delivery:
No
Take-out:
No
Waiter Service:
Yes
Outdoor Seating:
Yes
Wi-Fi:
No
Good For:
Dinner
Alcohol:
Full Bar
Noise Level:
Average
Ambience:
Classy
Has TV:
No
Caters:
No
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes
About This Business:
About Us  Here at Amici II we serve only the best of our homemade dishes from our native city of Napoli !! Amici means friends and over the decades our… read more »

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204 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 3 friends
    • 15 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    9/15/2013 2 photos
    Ricotta appetizer was 3 out of 5 with the garlic buttery bread being the best part. Uovo with chanterelles was delish, (mushroom?) raviolini was salty, lamb tagliatelli was perfectly al dente and full of meat and flavor. Torta di nocciola (chocolate hazelnut tort with orange caramel and coffee gelato was a "decadent candy bar" as the waiter described.

    Service was attentive, but the restaurant was kind of empty being Friday dinner time.
    • Ricotta, raviolini, uovo, lamb tagliatelli
    • Torta di nocciola (chocolate hazelnut tort with orange cara…
  • Review from

    Astoria, NY
    10/2/2013 1 check-in here
    It was a rare 80 degree weather in October and the outdoor dining area of A Voce beckoned.  We decided to celebrate the beautiful day with glasses of prosecco ($12) while we waited.  It was a warm day and the "Insalata" ($11) which consisted of mixed lettuce, apple, figs, walnuts, pecorino, citron vinaigrette seemed perfect.  We also ordered the "Tagliatelle" ($24), which had wild boar, tomato ragu, parmesan and oregano.

    The prosecco was well-chilled, the figs in the Insalata were ripe yet firm, and therefore, perfect.  However, the Tagliatelle was salty.  Not just a tad salty, but VERY salty. When someone came over to ask how it was, I told him the truth that it was a bit salty.  I did not get any response but I though it was better to tell them so they can probably try tasting the dishes.  They did give us lemon marshmallows, perhaps to balance our salt intake and save our lives. :)

    It was still a lovely lunch on a perfect fall day for my friend's birthday, definitely aided by the prosecco and the fact that we were sitting outside.
  • Review from

    • 11 friends
    • 224 reviews
    CORTLANDT MNR, NY
    8/29/2013 1 photo
    A Voce serves creative and delightfully tasty Italian food prepared in varieties you won't find elsewhere.

    Enjoyed the special of scallops with calamari and pearl couscous (see pic). Colleagues chose the sea bass, also delicious.

    Marvelous grilled Italian bread with olive oil

    In a city of expensive restaurants, A Voce is expensive and earns its prices.

    Tip:  don't miss the creative deserts, and I'm not a desert person.

    If you think this review with photo is useful, funny or cool, I'd appreciate your feedback below.
    • Special of Scallops with Calamari and Pearl Couscous
  • Review from

    • 12 friends
    • 66 reviews
    Hoboken, NJ
    9/23/2013
    This place was picture perfect for an upscale NY restaurant.  There was nothing I did not like.  The ambiance provided a nice transition from the work day to the evening.  If you can, give the duck a try.  You won't regret it.
  • Review from

    Newtown, PA
    6/22/2013 1 check-in here
    A Voce at 41 Madison (actually on 26th Street) becomes primarily an outdoor café on beautiful spring days like this week in New York.  While it is great to take in the sun and sights, it can get a bit crowded sitting at deuces on the sidewalk, so if you want a more private conversation it is best to head inside to the cooler main dining area that feels more like the backyard when everyone else is sun bathing in front.

    The lunch menu is not extensive, but covers the basic food groups in style.  The Mysticanza Salad came first with Arugula and Citron Viniagrette @ $11.  It was fresh and tasty with some Ricotta for additional textures.  The Branzino was lightly grilled with crisp skin, Artichokes, tiny Clams, Mint and Lemon.  Delicious, but it was hard to ignore that @ $34. it was smallish.  Finally, Yukon Gold Potato with Chive and Chevril was a generous portion for a side at $10. With a good expresso to close, the lunch took on dinner weight.  Can't do that everyday.

    With  sharp and attentive staff, and warm hostess, it was a very pleasant experience, even if I did have to skip dinner.  The superlative conversation that surrounded the meal made the afternoon unforgettable.
  • Review from

    Miami, FL
    8/6/2013
    We were going to go out in the Flat Iron area so we booked this place 2 hours before in a fridaynight. They almost lost our business but I gave it anyhow. We got there most tales outside at 8:30 were taken. Out of 40 tables only 4 were taken inside. So my friend goes why did they need a credit card ! Started out the with yellow tail crude excellent and the burrata excellent. We waited for another friend to show up so when she finally came we all put in our order. I got to mine ordered the lobster linguine me they were out ! I was not happy bc I didn't see anything else I wanted. I tried to alter a few items because the menu is small. Ended up with the mushroom ravioli. Was also excellent but for Italian this place is pricey.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 113 reviews
    Upper East Side, Manhattan, NY
    9/3/2013
    Good Italian place close to Madison Square Park. Try to go when the weather is nice as you can enjoy their outdoor space in front of the restaurant. Food is good although far from being heavily served... Service is good.
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    3/6/2013 1 check-in here
    I used to pass A Voce everyday when I lived in Chelsea and always wanted to try it. Though I didn't get the chance then, I recently moved back to the area and when I asked my roommie for a place to take my parents, she recommended A Voce. I didn't expect anything too fancy so was a little shocked by the steep prices (about $75pp without alcohol) especially because we planned dinner or a whim. Either way, we went on to have one of the most amazing and unique meals we've ever had as a family (okay, so my sister wasn't there but it still counts).

    The interior is modern and chic with some interesting wooden hanging structures in the back that I couldn't quite explain but they looked cool. The bar is inviting and there are tons of bottles of wine all up the wall. It seemed that the restaurant draws mostly a business crowd, but I did go on a Monday so who knows what it's like over the weekend. However the interior is more business-like than warm and inviting, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

    Our waiter suggested an antipasti, primi and secondi for each person, however, given our tendency to ALWAYS over order, we had some self control and got 2 apps, 2 prims, and 2 secs, and one side. We were all starving and actually ended up ordering the perfect amount of food for the 3 of us (well, we could have done without the side).

    For starters, we got Cassoncini con Prosciutto di Parma (swiss chard and crescenza cheese filled fried dough, prosciutto di parma) and the scallops. Both were incredibly tasty (though the serving size for the scallops was tiny) and the quality of prosciutto was unreal.

    For primi, we got the Tortelli (bacon filled pasta, Brussels sprouts, brodo) and Agnolotti (sunchoke filled pasta, brown butter, walnuts, rosemary). Both pastas were unlike anything I've tasted before... the bacon one came in a broth and the mini Brussels sprouts just made the dish. However, note that neither of the pasta dishes alone would be enough for a main course (they are good for sharing but small as a main meal).

    For the main, the 3 of us shared 2 fish. The Baccala (olive oil poached cod, couscous, green olive, dill) and Branzino (mediterranean sea bass, clams,
    artichokes, mint, lemon). Both were very good but in comparison to the starters and primi, they were slightly underwhelming. The cod was delicious - it was a thick cut piece which was white, flaky and melted in your mouth. I did find the dill paste slightly off-putting though. The Brazino was good too but I have had better Brazino.

    I wouldn't recommend ordering the side of patates/sliced potatoes - they were just okay.

    For dessert, we shared the almond cake with ice cream (I don't remember the flavor but it was really good). The cake was also just okay.

    Oh, they also have an insane wine collection. I had a glass of Pinot Noi but I can't remember the name... it was a black label.

    Our server was super nice and helpful (though he almost guided us to over order). The managers, sommeiller and bus boys were great too. Overall, we had a very memorable evening over delectable, unique Northern Italian food.
  • Review from

    • 44 friends
    • 52 reviews
    Fresh Meadows, NY
    5/17/2013 1 check-in here
    The food here was DELICIOUS!!!
    I ordered the ravioli with prosciutto and I was thinking about it a week later! My friend let me try some of her gnocchi and it too was on my mind for a while.

    The setup is classy and very comfortable. A definite try.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 1 review
    Manhattan, NY
    8/21/2013
    I have been a customer and fan of A Voce for years, from its beginnings with original chef Andrew Carmellini through the amazing years when it was led by the formidable Missy Robbins. I have rarely been so disappointed as I was on Monday when I visited A Voce to find the staff bewildered and bumbling, the service slow, and with no thought to the timing of a meal, and the food as if it were from another restaurant. We waited more than ten minutes after being seated for a server to even come to the table at 730p when the restaurant was less than half full. And the food - well, suffice it to say that I had to ask for salt for the $38 lobster linguini, once a favorite dish in all of NYC. It went largely uneaten, and no one asked us why.
  • Review from

    New York, NY
    2/8/2013 18 photos 1 check-in here
    I give A Voce the benefit of the doubt: I made my visit here for (1) a lunch (2) during Restaurant Week (3) on a holiday. On a chilly winter afternoon, I left my office and headed for the much-less traversed East side of Manhattan. The Gramercy/Flatiron location of A Voce is conveniently located near the 6 line, and probably a well-frequented location by those who work near the area. The interior is bright and spacious, accented by the mahogany wood, the high ceilings, and even the somewhat bizarre decor in the back of the restaurant, which I can best liken to giant, shimmery versions of paper firecrackers. As the first of my party to arrive, I was shown to our table and spent a few minutes admiring their bar area, which appears extremely well-stocked with your typical libations.

    After my friends arrived, we decided on our choices without too much difficulty, as each course only had two or three choices. In typical fashion, the three of us managed to cover all the options on the menu, which is particularly good when sharing or sampling bites. Our orders were taken and bread and olive oil were brought to our table; I have no major complaints about it, but I would have appreciated the addition of balsamic as well. Nonetheless, they were nice enough to refill it for us once, which is always a nice gesture.

    As for the food: I started off with the Agnello puttanesca - three pieces of lamb sausage garnished with capers, black olives, and san marzano. I can say with that the meat had a good texture and chew, and it had been seasoned extensively. It was perplexing, though; the additonal garnishes and additions seemed to contribute nothing to the dish, other than to provide a little color and towards the end, it came close to tasting overwhelmingly salty. I was able to try my friends' dishes as well; the Minestra di farro was a little too watery for my liking, but the ravioli was surprisingly well done. The yogurt and ricotta filling was surrounded by a pasta shell that was of just the right thickness and texture.

    As for the mains, I opted for the Maiale, a plate consisting of three slices of pork shoulder which was complemented with a mustard-based sauce. This was also slightly off-balance; the pork was sliced in a way to resemble pork belly, but had none of the flavor or texture that I was hoping for. The sauces were extraneous as well; mustard should be spicy, but A Voce's seemed to lack any kind of distinct taste.

    And dessert. I had initially chosen the Panpepato, a spiced chocolate cake served with walnuts and marscapone. A beautifully dark slice of cake came out, but after my friend and I took our first bites, we immediately reached for our glasses of water. Take note: Dessert should not be overwhelmingly spicy. Thankfully, our waiter was willing to take them back and exchange them for the other dessert option, the Zuppa inglese alla romana. Served in a glass, this dessert consisted of rum-soaked ladyfingers topped with citrus crema and a slice of candied blood orange. It was far more enjoyable, delightfully creamy, and the highlight of the meal, in my opinion.

    In the end, A Voce has its fair share of hits and misses. The food is fair - it's well-presented and adequately cooked, but seems to lack the inspiration, contrast, and nuances in flavor and texture that I've come to expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant.
    • Agnello puttanesca
    • Orata
    • Orata
  • Review from

    • 17 friends
    • 55 reviews
    New York, NY
    4/12/2013
    I always noticed this restaurant since I passed by it every time I went out to pick up lunch during work.  So I was excited that I was in charge of picking a new lunch place for our division for a welcoming lunch.  I always like to look around the menus before going to a restaurant.. so I was excited to find that A Voce was actually a Michelin starred rated restaurant!

    All 6 of us got to the restaurant around 12pm.  Some of us got the prix fixed which came with a nicely range of options.  I wasn't hungry that day, so I decided to skip the prix fixed and went with the sea bass (which was around the same price as the prix fixed).  I love sea bass cooked in any kind of sauce.. or just cooked raw with no flavoring.  So it takes alot for me to give an entree w/ sea bass a bad review.  Foreshadowing...

    Our lunch took FOREVER.  Seriously, I think I called over the waiter at LEAST 3 times... especially if there is no food or if it's like pulling teeth to have personal conversations for 3 hours.. it gets exhausting.  My sea bass came out a bit cold and too well done.  Waiting over an hour for a dish could get that way.  I understand that it was during rush hour for lunch.. but cmmon, you're a michelin starred restaurant.  It shouldn't take 3 hours to feed a group of 6 people.  2 of us had to leave EARLY, even before the dessert came out because they had meetings!

    Some of my cowrkers enjoyed their lunch and at the end they wanted my opinion on how the food was.  My answer was.. "it was just ok"....... mostly because I was annoyed of the staff and wait.  By the time we got back into the office it was 3pm.  The only thing good about this lunch was that there were only 2 hours left until home time!!!
  • Review from

    • 9 friends
    • 77 reviews
    New York, NY
    7/24/2013
    Lezbehonest, this isn't the sort of place you would ever go to on your own.  At least I wouldn't.  I frequent this place only for work-sponsored occasions, when a corporate card is taking care of the tab.  The service is always very accommodating considering we're quite the rowdy, unkempt crew and the ricotta cheese is perfect to eat by the pound if you're not on a diet.
  • Review from

    Millbrae, CA
    3/9/2013 Seated via OpenTable 1 check-in here
    We actually stumbled across A Voce during our first night in NYC and was within walking distance from our hotel.  The dining room was very busy with plenty of servers per table so service was very good.  Our meal was good but my trout was extremely salty.

    This is a good date place.
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    12/20/2012
    Overall summary: felt like the food was above-average in terms of taste but below-average in terms of quantity, even for a fancy restaurant like this. Service was fine. Doesn't seem like a really bustling place though (went on a Friday during dinnertime), which I think is reflective of the food + quantity combination.

    More specific comments:
    -The mushroom appetizer
    -The cocktail with pumpkin puree (though all the cocktails we had were all pretty good)
    -Fish dishes were all ok, but didn't taste that special.
    -Cheese platter not really worth it
    -Your entire table's order is all done at once (according to the waiter), so it's very hard to order some things early (even appetizers), and if you want to add on stuff later on it'll take a while.
  • Review from

    • 7 friends
    • 63 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    1/14/2013
    They took away the one thing me and some friends fell in love with last summer: note-worthy gnocchi! It melted in your mouth. A Voce was our go to for catching up and venting because of the atmosphere and of course the food. Make sure you start off every meal with the ricotta. Also, try the Casunziei.

    Drinks are outstanding. Definitely a place for the girls to catch up and/or bring a date to.
  • Review from

    San Francisco, CA
    6/29/2012 2 check-ins here
    A lot more than I'd usually spend for lunch but man was it good.

    Their ricotta appetizer was rich and nutty. The garlic bread that came with it may have had too much oil, but I just used their regular bread.

    The arugula salad was simple but really flavorful. As my friend Christine said "these don't taste like the greens I buy at Trader Joe's."

    I had their tortellini and it was scrumptious. They obviously make their pasta from scratch and cook it al dente just the way I like it.

    Sitting outside on a nice day was clutch, our waters were refilled all the time and the lemon marshmallow complimentary  petit four was a nice touch.
  • Review from

    Charlottesville, VA
    9/3/2012
    Baller food. I imagine this would be the stuff I would eat after I got sick of chicken fingers and burritos, and wanted to feel all swanky and sip red wine, even though, to be perfectly honest, I hate most kinds of wine and would much rather have a fruit soda instead. I will say that I don't go to these restaurants often, not just because, well, my budget isn't exactly cut out for meals like these, and also because I might still be at that age where I think a dinner of french fries, bread, cheese, nutella, and Sprite is like the best thing on earth. So basically my palate is not incredibly refined. But that's okay. I still got time to be the next Julia Childs.

    I loved their Cassoncini con Prosciutto di Parma (fried dough stuffed with chard and cheese, and lovely pink cuts of prosciutto on the side) and Ficci (the first time I ate figs! And figs that were prepared and seasoned with care) small plates. If I ever do get the opportunity to come back here, those would the two dishes I would hoard to myself and never let anyone near. I didn't really get a chance to try the two pasta dishes my table ordered, mostly since I was still in a daze from the fantastic antipasti but apparently the Bigoli received rave reviews. I mean, it has bacon in it. How could it not be wonderful?

    I ordered the trout with the fingerling potatoes and bitter greens. I'm not sure if I overstuffed myself on everything that came before but I wasn't a huge fan of the fish. I think some of the bitterness from the greens seeped into the fish, and I don't know, maybe that was supposed to bring out the freshness, but I just wasn't feeling it.

    Otherwise, a beautiful restaurant that I'd definitely want to come back to.

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