Vincent's of Mott Street., A Premier Name in Little Italy
Written: Nov 24 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent sauces. Christmas Music before Thanksgiving. I love the holidays.
Cons: gets very crowded in the summer
The Bottom Line: This is noted as the "Original" Vincents. After having their sauce and experiencing their family style atmosphere I felt this place the one and only!
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| popsrocks's Full Review: Vincent's of Mott Street |
I've been to Little Italy many times before but I never tried Vincents before. Hey, it's only been around for 102 years. We have walked by it many times seeing lines to enter on a summer's eve. They have outdoor seating on the sidewalks too.
As a point of interest, at least to me, I checked up on my grandfather's papers when he came to the US from Italy. That was in 1898. He worked as a mason. The manifest from his ship says he lived on Mulberry Street at an address just steps from this restaurant. The building still stands. I imagine him sitting there eating a dish of pasta. I'm sure it tasted much then as it still does today. I liked this place.
My Visit
I had some time to kill a few days before Thanksgiving while waiting for my daughter to come in from school on the Chinatown Bus that goes directly from Boston to NYC for just $15. That's another review, another time. I found a parking spot and I was near Vincents on Mott St. and I was hungry. I saw a lunch special advertised on a placard in front of the place. It was already decorated for Christmas and to my delight after walking in I heard Christmas music being played.
Most of the Italian Restaurants are on Mulberry St. Vincents is on Mott, just down the street. It stands as a sentinel dividing Chinatown and Little Italy. Both are interesting neighborhoods to stroll through.
The floors are small white and black tile. The ceiling tin. Wooden tables and chairs lined the two levels of the restaurant. Small vases with carnations stood on each table. There were no cloths. It was lunch time. I wonder if they dress them at night.
Pictures taken with stars were on all the walls. Yankees and Mets were honored and every Italian movie star you could mention DeNiro, Dean Martin, Ray Romano and much more had their autographed picture thanking Vincents for a great meal. A larger size picture honored Frank Sinatra.
In one corner above a table is a picture of Michael Raguso He was a firefighter that was lost on 9/11. It was good to see him in a place of honor.
The wait staff were all in black and white. Aprons on all. The Italian waiters had accents and spoke Italian to a few of the guests. The guy behind the cashiers counter looked like he came from the set of the Sopranos . Oh yes, those guys were up on the walls too.
The Menu
They had the usual clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp and scungilli in all sorts of ways and on all kinds of pasta. The specials were all over linguini.
I had a dish of the linguini with shrimp and their fra diavolo sauce. Gravy we always called it in our Italian based family. It was excellent. It had body to it and good flavour. It might be a bit too hot for most. I needed a napkin to keep the perspiration on my bald head from turning into Niagara Falls.
Vincents also has a sweet sauce and medium sauce. I tried all three. Once seated at the table they bring breads, two types of Italian and a small bowl of garlic flavoured olive oil, heavenly!! No butter. If you would like they also offer a sauce to dip in. I suggest the hot for dipping and the medium on pasta. The sweet was also very good.
The dishes were brought out in nice sized portions in a simple dish smothered with sauce. Cheese is brought to the tables. No grating fresh here. Paper napkins were plentiful. This is a casual dress restaurant, no airs but with good table service.
Finishing Touches
This place is full of tourist in the summer and on weekend evening all year round. It gets a good crowd other days too. Lunch time, especially around two, offers plenty of tables and the lunch menu. It's a good value. I did notice what seemed to be some locals at tables eating then. The tourists swarm the place a bit later. This place is open till 1:30 AM every night and till 3AM Saturdays. The bar stays open till 4AM.
The kitchen makes a great sauce, the pasta al dente, and offer a good house red without breaking the bank. Entres were $10-$26.
The signs outside all state the "Original" Vincents. Maybe there have been rip-offs over the years. After having their sauce and experiencing their family style atmosphere I felt this place the one and only!
Little Italy
Caffe Napoli Our favorite in Little Italy
Chinatown Just steps from Little Italy
Recommended:
Yes
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