NYCReview
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Uva
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I wish more restaurants had slogans. Like, “Minetta Tavern - All The Meat That’s Fit To Eat,” or “Carbone - No, You Can’t Have Dinner Here.” It would really help give you a feel for a place before you experience it firsthand. To that end, if Uva, a popular Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side had a slogan, it would definitely be, “Uva - Don’t Be A Hero.”
Why? Because whatever plan you are cooking up for a really impressive date night at a hot new restaurant is probably going to fail. You aren’t going to get a reservation with such short notice, and even if you could, the restaurant is probably going to be too loud, or not loud enough, or too expensive, or too romantic, or not romantic enough, or Jesus, why does this have to be so hard, we’re just having dinner?
Don’t be a hero. Just go to Uva.
Uva is that restaurant that you turn to for date night when all else seems impossible. It’s a rustic, cozy little Italian spot in the East 70s that’s always lively and always full of other people just like you - people just who want a solid meal in a nice environment with someone they’re sizing up for breed-ability. The food is good - not the best Italian in the city, but certainly satisfying, and also somewhat reasonably priced. The wine list is affordable and not intimidating, and the menu is big enough that pretty much anyone can find something that suits their needs. There’s even a nice garden in the back for a pleasant evening, or a daytime date if you really want to keep things PG. It is worth noting that when crowded, Uva can be a bit loud, and it’s also very dark. But unless you’re planning on giving some sort of presentation at the table, that shouldn’t be an issue.
What that all adds up to is that by going with Uva for your next date, you can focus on what’s really important, and that’s being as impressive as any human can possibly be. So maybe that’s your slogan. “Don’t dress like an idiot.”
Uva will handle the rest.