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At this point, Union Square Hospitality Group doesn’t need any new hits. Coming up on almost four decades of opening dining establishments in NYC, this restaurant group could choose to ride on the coattails of its previous successes in perpetuity. You may even react with a slight eye roll upon hearing about yet another USHG spot and ask yourself, “Do we really need more of these?” But once you taste the bread and pasta at Ci Siamo, you'll think, "Yeah, more would be good."
The unadorned entrance to this second floor upscale Italian restaurant is not exactly easy to find. It’s nestled among a lineup of retail spaces in what is essentially an outdoor mall in Manhattan West. This area between Hudson Yards and Penn Station is trying to graduate beyond its status of “fake neighborhood,” and Ci Siamo is one solid step towards possibly achieving that goal.
When you walk inside, you'll feel like you're checking into a nice hotel, about to start a vacation in Milan (but in reality, you'll still have that 8:15am meeting to discuss "team dynamics" in the morning). There are leather and velvet chairs arranged on triangular tiled flooring, as well as a whole wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that face a lemon-themed outdoor installation known as Citrovia—which seems like something that happens when a real estate developer loses a bet to somebody on shrooms. You’ll be surprised by how massive the space is—it seems to keep going and going—but despite the size of the room, you’ll still have a tough time getting a table.
Chef Hillary Sterling, previously of Vic's and A Voce (where she worked with Lilia's Missy Robbins), has created a menu that centers around live-fire cooking. But the dishes that come from the open-fire station aren’t the ones that make our heads nod in appreciation to no one in particular. The tender smoked swordfish goes well with its lemony artichokes and fresh basil but is ultimately forgettable—and, while we like the deeply-flavored dry aged ribeye with salsa verde a little more, we wouldn’t order it again. That’s why we recommend sticking with the starters and pastas.
The bread and pastry items at Ci Siamo are phenomenal. Before anyone even hands you a menu, order the melty caramelized onion torta with plenty of sharp pecorino baked into a rich and crumbly crust. The cast iron focaccia with tomato conserva (think tomato paste alongside olive oil with chili flakes) is lightly crisped on the outside and fluffy on the inside, while the peppery gnocco fritto stuffed with goat gouda will convince you to set a recurring "eat cheesy fried dough" reminder on your calendar. If you happen to be on a low-carb diet, we implore you to take a day off. Otherwise, reconsider coming here, or you'll get irritable watching people around you eat these items. No one wants to see that side of you.
The rest of your focus should be on the pastas. There are usually six offered, and every single one of them is worth ordering. One standout is the creamy ricotta-filled agnolotti with rapini and Calabrian chili flakes, and another is the cavatelli with little chunks of lobster in a thin chili and vermouth sauce. (Both have a little bit of spice.) But the pasta our minds spontaneously wander towards when we’re walking outside in the cold is the hearty stracci with tons of shredded rabbit that seems like it’s been braised for days.
Ci Siamo is certainly a big step up for commuters who have gotten used to grabbing Sbarro and turkey sandwiches from Hudson News over the years. The portions here are generous (even the gelati comes in unexpectedly tall sundae glasses), so it’s also a great place for anyone planning a group meal. After taking a few bites of food here, people stop looking at their TikTok feeds mid-scroll and feel compelled to start talking about what they’re eating. We don’t see that too often. Once you start getting into your own meal, you too might be so focused on the food that missing your train or the first quarter of the Knicks game won’t feel like such a huge sacrifice.