Caffe Pane e Cioccolato

i miss this place.

Like Sooj O., my fourth star is purely for nostalgia. Now that the Peacock Café and Caffe Dell’Artista have both closed, there is no better place in the Village to sit with a book, watching a snowstorm and drinking hot chocolate. My husband teases me for liking it – he thinks the food is profoundly uninteresting – but these are some of the only good memories I have of being an NYU student, so I treasure them.
The pasta isn’t bad, it’s just not extraordinary. I’m particularly fond of the tortellini paesana, even though I could make it better at home. That’s not the point. The point is that everyone around you is thinking and learning and taking a moment to rest and breathe before running off to the next class, and sometimes that’s exactly the atmosphere you want.
EDIT: They now have a new name and a new menu, which seems to be mostly pizza. No more tortellini, wah! I went there with a friend and she said the pizza was okay, but neither of us was super impressed. At least they still have hot chocolate.

I was torn between 3 & 4 stars, so officially this is a 3.5 rating. D and I stopped here one day when she was done class for a quick bite before heading home.
They had pretty standard Italian fare and the prices weren’t too extravagant, even for the city, so that was a plus. I just wasn’t impressed by the service. I know it was a Tuesday night, but c’mon, show a little enthusiasm.
The wine list was a little short, but the delicious cappuccino made up for it.
O and PS they just started taking credit cards (but not AMEX! d’oh)

Started off with hot chocolate — it was decent, lacked a little flavor. I had the gnocci with a ricotta sauce. The gnocci was very light which was nice. The sauce wasn’t bad but didnt really stand out. Cool atmosphere (kind of euro). ehh maybe go again?
They also don’t open until 12pm (although offer breakfast foods?).

I admit it: the 4^th star is for nostalgia factor.
There’s nothing particularly special about the food, but the service is very friendly. And I spent many hours over the course of several years as a student drinking coffee here with a book.
I meandered over here with an old and dear friend after a meal in the Meatpacking district. The staff treated us wonderfully… we lingered pretty much till closing time with some cappuccino and dessert. And that’s what I used to do when I was a student in this neighborhood.

We were not impressed with the brunch we had here today.
I ordered the Spanish omelette. According to the menu, it comprises of red peppers, potato, and sausage. Where were the red peppers? There were teeny tiny pieces of potato, and there was hardly any sausage (maybe a few small pieces).
He ordered the smoked salmon omelette. That was loaded with very fishy tasting salmon.
We won’t be coming back here.

Before class tonight, I stopped here for a quick light dinner. The salami and cheese sandwich was right up my alley — fresh ingredients, warm Italian bread, lettuce and tomato. Add a spot of mustard, and you’re set. Not bad for $ 7.
I ogled the entrees at the next table and think I’ll try the gnocchi ifwhen I return. You might get a little more bang for your buck with a proper dinner. My waiter was awesome.
Interesting article here:

Nothing too special… think I had a sandwich here

didnt love the lunch selection here. the salads are a bit of a bust — i paid $ 11 for a seaside salad that contained 2 shrimp, and a clump of mushed up tuna that looked like it came out of the can… disappointing. will try this place again though, for the pasta, which seem like better deals!
waitstaff here was extremely nice!

I have a mad soft spot for the cheese tortallinis!