"I returned on March 11th, 17 years since I last had dinner at Rustico (after having moved out of state) and found its quality had not faltered, food-wise and service-wise. Still tops! Roberto, co-owner and GM, was in his usual professional warm demeanor. Master chef and co-owner Maurizio was not there but I experienced the superb imprint of his cooking nonetheless. Sharam, veteran waiter who’s been there for decades, was attentive as always, never short of recommendations. The warm octopus calamari arugula salad was a delightful starter; the linguine with clams was flawless, the branzino was perfectly grilled, served with a unique sauce, the tiramisu was a classic winner. Nice touches too: the negroni cocktail was served in an elegant martini glass; the Sancerre, though by no means Italian, was a lovely white wine by the glass option. One thing: the elegant somewhat dark ambience might benefit from a facelift: how about a sunny bright Puglian palette?"
