"I have lived in NYC for 15 years and have eaten in over 20 or so different Italian restaurants in NYC, including some that are considered to be some of the "best" including Roberto 's in the Bronx, Trattoria L 'Incontro in Queens, and Basilio Inn in Staten Island. And while the latter two are really excellent (I was not impressed at all by Roberto's....I still have to say that I had Antica Trattoria as the best Italian I had in all NYC. I lived near Antica and as such probably there over 40 times. So I have a good feeling what this place is cooking, and on a consistent basis. And so I can say the food here is consistently stellar! My favorite dishes are their antipasto Freddo, the Arugula salad with shavings of Parmesan cheese and orange slices and their lasagna. (Many places have lasagna, where the meat is a little "blue", and the pasta can be a bit dried/hard. Not like Antica. Your lasagna just melts in your mouth! I also had some veal specialties that were also excellent. The ambience is very warm and relaxed. This is a real family-run restaurant in a simple neighborhood. Now that I no longer live in the area, I still occasionally make a special one-hour and long trip on the subway to eat here...it is THAT GOOD!"
