A Voce

A voce has long been my favorite Italian in new york — from the mid 2000’s when missy robbins introduced the duck meatballs — i remember that meal fondly sitting on the terrace in the late summer with a few friends before i was moving to india.
I moved to india and the whole world fell apart and sewed itself back together and a voce staid strong delivering just-​enough inventiveness to make a having 2 or 3 meals there a month still intriguing.
The neighborhood came up around a voce — the bright stars of 11 Madison Park and Tabla opened up, down the block new upcomers like park avenue seasons and upland opened — even SD 26 opened (and has since closed) with in site of the shady terrace of A Voce.
Through this it has never broken down and aped the trends of the day — although a few year back they did take on and even over take the poached egg ravioli that SD 26 had so precisely invented.
I ate here often last spring as my father was dying. Tom who ran to front of house and knew my father well always made polite inquiries and never asked too much, he was quick with the first round of drinks and Walter, the head waiter kept a courteous amount of jovial quip in his service. we ate as much as we could to fill the sadness, and while taste did not factor in, the familiarity and warmth of the food gave respite for an hour or so.
i had not been back to a voce for over a year until our visit last week. we were happy to see the terrace filled with tourists and local bankers, and even though it was late in the spring a cold wind died down after sunset. Tom at the front of house had moved on to a old classic red sauce joint in midtown — and him being there makes me want to visit it in midtown. anyways, we all warmed up and enjoyed the tartar served with bone marrow and the cacio y pepe (to be fair i also had a half portion of the Cappelacci.) the food was excellent and there was not a trace of sadness in the air.

Way over rated. The pasta we had was good but the service was terrible and for the prices they charge you would at the very least expect good service. Portions were very tiny.

We went to A Voce at Columbus for Italian food with a party of 4. The food was very good a nice mix of some traditional and eclectic dishes. The rabbit and truffle cavatelli was excellent. The veal with pork or veal cheeks and lobster risotto were also a big hit although the plating for the risottos threw us a curve. The risotto was dark green laid out like a painted wheel and did not look appetizing but it was.
Some of you may remember #greybar in the same location. The layout is similar but no longer elegant. Smple lines leaving a cold sterile look. A bit too bleak for our taste. Raised up above Columbus Circle on the second floor you would expect a great view but the windows start too high so you only see treetops at Central Park.
They say they are renovating which is good. Give us a warm seductive atmosphere to go along with the creative food they serve.

The place exudes a modern Italian flair as soon as you walk in.
Came here for Restaurant Week Lunch. I had a really refreshing kale salad to start and for secondi had a juicy pork belly atop of lentils (Maiale). It was a little fatty but it was extremely soft and just melted in my mouth. There was a beautiful sear on top and it gave a nice contrast to the bite — immense flavor. The regular Maiale they serve is a pork loin and I’m looking forward to coming back and trying that. For dessert, I had a cheesecake with raisins (clearly not from in-​house), it was ok.
I had a glass of dry Schiava with the meal. It took about 20−25min to open up, but once it did, let me tell you, it was amazing! It was a perfect fruity balance and just kept getting better as the meal progressed — a very smooth, well-​balanced red wine. However, it may have been too soft to compliment the indulgent pork. A young Burgundy, Cab, Mouvedre or anything with more acidity would have been a better choice.
All in all, a great meal! Staff was friendly, ambience was nice, noise wasn’t too loud, definitely will come back and try more stuff! :)
Recommended: Maiale

Very posh place with high-​end Italian fare. The vibe of the place seems secretive, intimate, and romantic. Not a bad place to take your kids considering, but still has a very high-​end feel. The portions were medium-​small and very expensive considering. Service was quite good, though.

Went for the RW dinner menu recently. Got a quiet table in the back. I had the Salsiccia (house made pork sausage, polenta incatenata, red wine sauce) and Brasato (braised short ribs, winter vegetable farrotto). Wife had the Zuppa (leek and potato soup, crème fraiche, chives) and Linguine (Taggiasca olive pasta, pesto Trapanese, almonds).
My Brasato was outstanding. Her Zuppa was delicious. Great experience overall. Service as always was also excellent. We both got a reasonable bottle of wine each recommended by the Somm, instead of doing wines by the glass. NYC allows you take unfinished wine home.
Recommend the restaurant if you are looking for something interesting and high quality. My wife’s favorite is the Uovo (five minute boiled egg, artichokes, Perigord truffle gelato). She swears by this.

The space at A Voce Madison had a nice ambience, not too loud, good drinks, and everything we tried ended up being tasty. The scialatielli with lobster entrée was my favorite … nom nom nom. Along with warm, friendly staff and great service, I had a pleasant experience and will definitely be making another appearance.

One of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had. The pasta was phenomenal, cooked perfectly, and the service was impeccable. Delicious cocktails, and the desserts were succulent and delicious. In a day and age where people expect massive portion sizes, it was refreshing to come to a restaurant with reasonable portions and good prices that reflect quality, not quantity.

Why this place is not teeming with customers is puzzling. The food, like its uptown sister, is excellent. The homemade pasta is one always standout. Meat dishes are good too, particularly the lamb and veal. This is they rare restaurant where one can have a conversation without loud music playing, receive good service and dine in a nicely decorated contemporary setting. Ideal for business dinners.

Came here on a work dinner — service is exceptional, ambiance is high-​end and classy. Food is very good, not the best you’ll have for fine dining in the city, but very good nonetheless. I’m mostly a fan for the atmosphere of hospitality and fine-​dining they created which was all very much appreciated given the price point. Food is very good though, don’t get me wrong. I think a great spot for client dinners. We were a large group and were easily accommodated to that end.

I’d give it a four. The beet, cheese radish appetizer was amazing. The chestnut tagliatelle porcini pasta was to die for. The halibut was minuscule and flavorless and the donuts were the bomb. Waiting 30 minutes for the bill was annoying.

Very nice place, service was really great and good foods love to go there again.
Nice wine collections.
Awesome place

I can count on 1 hand the amount of times I’ve eaten at a fancy pants restaurant only to be disappointed, still hungry and reminiscing of edible items from like a gastropub.
So my coworkers and I came here to enjoy their Restaurant Week pre-​fix lunch. Location-​wise, A Voce on Madison is super close to my office and so it made it a no brainer (we’ve also already done RW at Park Avenue Winter and Bread & Tulip).
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Atmosphere — We had to eat outside because it was simply way too cold inside the restaurant. It was a group of 7 of us and so we had to make due with the outdoor tables that have these unstable, wicker, high-​stools that were really uncomfortable — especially for those of us who were wearing dresses or skirts.
Service — Reservations were made about 1 week prior. We were given a little trouble but eventually told that they would do their best to «squeeze us in». Yeah, okay — it was 1:15 on a Tuesday afternoon and they were about 15−20% full. Plenty of space both inside and outside. Mmmmkay. We waited about 10 minutes to get seated and we were immediately given napkins, glasses, menus and water.
The timing between each course was not good. It took especially a long time between our entrees and our desserts. Upon leaving, our waiter and another one who was primarily working with patrons eating inside, had to stand and gawk at my boss and I (both in dresses). It was a sad way to end our meal. Here’s a tip waiters, stop looking at women like they’re food and focus on your employers food.
Wine — We ordered a bottle of wine and thankfully that arrived immediately. We went with their Planeta Rose which is from a winery in Sicily that has apparently won a couple of prizes — in the 2011 vintage was awarded Bronze from the International Wine Challenge, and the 2009 vintage was awarded. Don’t know what year our wine was, but it had floral aromas and a full-​bodied finish with subtle notes of strawberries and love.
Appetizer — Right off the bat I was a little saddened by the lack of options in comparison to other RW pre-​fixes I’ve seen… but it is what it is. I went with their Passera crudo which is raw Long Island fluke, spicy aioli and pine nuts. This was definitely delicious and sashimi like sans rice. The flavors of the aioli and pine nuts went really well with the buttery fluke and I cleaned up the aoli on my plate with their warm complimentary bread. My only gripe about this was really the serving. But it’s an appetizer so I shut my mouth and rolled with it.
Entrée — My secondi was their Orata. This was a pan seared sea bream, taggiasca olives, capers and parsley. The sea bream was a mild, white fish pan-​seared to perfection with a crispy exterior and a juicy interior. It was a little bit on the salty side, but really delicious and fresh tasting all the same.
It was served with arugula that was drizzled with a lemon-​y vinaigrette that made the arugula also salty and tart at the same time. Fresh was definitely the overall theme of my plate and I was grateful for how all the different flavors marinated themselves into one. Even with 2 slices of complimentary bread, my tiny appetizer and my entrée, I was still quite hungry (seriously, a few notches below starving) and would have appreciated another piece of delicious sea bream.
One of my coworkers ordered a plate of penne pasta in a tomato sauce and she said it tasted really dry and really salty as if it had been sitting on a countertop for awhile before it made its way over to her.
Dessert — A Voce’s RW pre-​fix menu only had one dessert option and it was their Ricotta Mousse which came served with macerated strawberries, orange blossom meringa and a scoop of rhubarb sorbet.
The ricotta mousse was delicious and not overly sweet but with subtle notes of their orange blossom meringa (which I learned is basically Italian for Meringue which if you’re not aware — is a type of dessert, often associated with French, Swiss, and Italian cuisine, made from whipped egg whites or aquafaba and sugar, and occasionally an acid such as lemon, vinegar or cream of tartar) it was also fluffy and had a nice texture. The sorbet was very sour and tasted more like raspberries than rhubarb. I gave my co-​worker my sorbet and he in turn gave me his ricotta mousse block because he can’t eat dairy… so that was a win/​win situation.
Presentation — Everything looked fantastic and was plated very nicely except for the dessert. For restaurant where lunch normally costs $ 35+ I would expect their dessert to be presented much nicer. It looked like one of my art projects when I was in grade school… not middle school… GRADE school. But I’m not that snobby, I’m just happy that there was tasty food in my face, I just expect a little more when prices are escalated.
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In all, I really enjoyed my food here — but I wasn’t blown away either. Service/​portion sizes could definitely use some work. 3 stars for A-​OK.

Been thinking about going back everyday since the first visit…
From the moment we walked in and were seated I knew we were onto something good but wasn’t really expecting what was about to hit us. When your server starts talking and it sounds like he is reciting a poem, you know, the rest thats about to follow will be something very special.
The dishes were pure work of art that felt like explosions of various colors of taste in your mouth. Spectacular combination of flavors that makes my mouth water just thinking about it. I relished every bite and couldn’t stop raving about it while dining. The desserts — Outstanding!
Staff is very poised, very attentive and acute to their patron’s needs.
The ambiance screams elegance, class yet its not pretentious like the other places I was unfortunate of wasting my time at. Overall, incredible experience that needs to be repeated very soon.
Think I found another fave.)

Two girlfriends and I had a long needed evening out and one had visited the sister restaurant at Columbus Circle so it was a natural to come here.
It’s a lovely place and the staff was friendly. Our waiter was delightful and kind. He asked if we wished to have to sommelier help us and we said no. As we were deciding what to order the sommelier came, in spite of our request that he not. Frankly, I respect the knowledge he has and the title his has earned but he recommended a bottle
of wine that was $ 150+. When my girlfriend asked if there was a bottle of what we wanted that was «a little more reasonable» he sniffed and sort of sighed and pointed out something else. We were disappointed but what are you going to say «it’s too Chardonnay-​y??» It was a disappointment.
My pork tenderloin was lovely the lobster pasta was just ok and the fish was lovely as well. The donuts and Meyer lemon dessert were great.
Lovely place, lovely people… but the sommelier was a not a good fit for us. If he had been, this review would have one more star.

NYC Restaurant week 2015. I’ve decided to revisit A Voce again, but this time I wanted to have lunch solo so I can really pay attention to my food and have quiet time to myself.
This is a very first time I dined inside the restaurant. Last time, I was out on their patio area during summer time. Dining inside is definitely my preference. I love the ambiance, hardwood floor, its high ceiling with bright light coming from tall windowpanes,. everything just screams elegance. I sat at a long booth and had a whole view of the restaurant. Modern, simple, clean, sophisticated, and spacious. I felt so serene.
FOOD:
COZZE — it doesn’t sound like it would be anything complex taste-​wise. just steamed mussels. so I thought. Once it arrived in front of me, I took a minute to admire the presentation before I dove in. OH my heaven! it was unbelievably delicious. My server recommended it and I’m glad I trusted him. It had crunchy texture to balance mussels softness texture. Sauce was so flavorful, simply packed with depth of flavors. It really got me excited for my second course.
PACCHERI WITH SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE — its bright green color of broccoli rabe pesto made the plate looked so refreshing. This dish had many dimensions of flavor. You had sweetness from the sausage, bitterness of broccoli rabe, crunchiness from bread crumbs, and good chew from paccheri. It was a successful dish. I enjoyed it so much I had to use my bread to scoop up leftover pesto. If you don’t like broccoli rabe because of its bitterness, then you might want to skip to fluke or chicken.
TORTA AL LIMONE — this dessert was truly a work of art. Plating was gorgeous. Basil gelato? OH MY! It was so delightful. If you love basil, you are going to love this! It was excellent pairing with lemon tart. I enjoyed this wonderful dessert with a cup of coffee and I couldn’t be happier with my choices.
SERVICE:
This is where A Voce received 5 stars from me. Not only food was superb in every course in terms of taste and timing, service was impeccable as well. My server was caring, friendly, knowledgeable, and funny. He made sure that I’m not allergic to any ingredients. Always made sure that I was happy with my meal and if I didn’t enjoy any of his recommendations, he would gladly take it back to the kitchen. What impressed me the most was when he made sure that my cup of coffee didn’t get cold. He did refilled my coffee once, but after I finished dessert, he brought me a new cup of coffee instead. All staff members were very attentive. As I walked out to get my coat, a gentleman noticed my hands were full of wallet, phone, scarf, and hat, he came over to hold a coat for me so I didn’t have trouble putting on a coat myself. It’s a little gesture and attention to details that made this dinning experience spectacular. I would be happy to return here again.

Came here during restaurant week and was a bit underwhelmed. For drinks, I got a Prosecco with St. Germaine which was very good and a cappuccino after dessert that was delicious as well. I tried the Uovo as that is on their regular menu and it was the best of the 3 dishes I got. I tried the pan roasted fluke and while the corn salad was delicious, the fluke itself had absolutely no taste. For dessert I got the ricotta mousse which was good but nothing amazing.
The ambiance was nice and the service was great so I am interested to try dishes outside of restaurant week to see if it’s any better.

I’ve been avoiding this place thinking it was more of a business lunch/​dinner type spot but after dining here for a work lunch last week, I would definitely recommend it to others for a meal with friends, first date and business. I really enjoy the outdoor seating but the food was really what blew me away! I had the crudo appetizer which was probably the best I’ve ever had. Delicate, flavorful and beautifully presented.
The service was outstanding and they accommodated us when we mentioned we were in a bit of a hurry. Everything we ordered we beautifully presented and extremely tasty!

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. 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 décor in the back of the restaurant, which I can best liken to giant, shimmery versions of paper firecrackers.
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 generously seasoned. 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, 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 have a slight spice or kick to it, 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. It was as though all the spice that was missing in the second course had somehow snuck its way into the dessert, which was borderline inedible. 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 and taste that I’ve come to expect from Michelin-​starred restaurants.

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.