Our first visit to the “New” Union Square Cafe…I wish it were still the old USC !! It has a very corporate vibe to it unlike the warmer local cafe of days past. They have insituted a non-tipping policy which has some advantges to the employees but certainly the extra wages are pasted along to the consumer in the pricing. We sat at the bar on a very slow afternoon and service was just OK, friendly but not very professional.
We had an excellent: Fritto Misto at 24 dollars:
Calamari, Oysters, Asparagus, Peppers.
We also tried 3 Pastas:(prices are for full orders, half and mid course sizes available):
Pappardelle 37 dollars
Cacciatore Ragu, Castelvetrano Olives, Pecorino Romano
Ricotta Gnocchi 33 dollars
Tomato Basil Passatina, Pecorino
Tagliatelle 35 dollars
Snow Peas, Pea Leaves, Lemon Ricotta
All the pastas dishes were good but not nothing worthy of returning for. These are not Marea or Babbo level pastas.
Dessert: Stores Pavlova was sick in the best way !!!
Beverage Program is huge: they have a great selection of local beers and creative cocktail program as well. The house wine list is poor to say the least I couldn’t find a wine that I would drink at the 25 dollar a glass and below level. The wines and cocktails are designed to max out the profits per square foot. Certainly nice for a special occasion but the pricing would wear on you if you frequented the place.
The scores are Service 7/10, Food 7.5/10 and value 7/10.