Sant Ambroeus
Prices
Average main course: $26.
AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, V.
Description
Everyone gets a little restless around the age of 19, and Sant Ambroeusthe beloved Upper East Side café, gelateria, paninoteca, wine bar, patisserie and restaurantwas no exception. It left its longtime Madison Avenue home in 2001, plopped down a few years later in the West Village, and now, its back in its original location. Executive chef Mario Danieli also returned to prepare many of the classic Northern Italian dishes fans have grown to love, like a tender breaded veal piccata, a sprightly shaved-fennel and crab salad, and spaghetti topped with hearty bolognese.
Hours
8am–11pm.
I had the worst experience of my life here; ordered off the "specials menu" unwittingly a tiny little plate of risotto that cost $95! They need to tell you the prices if they are going to do this. It was terribly uncomfortable and embarrassing to debate this with the manager in front of my friends and they made me pay for it, adding insult to injury by tipping themselves with my credit card (adding $22 to the total--not standard practice for a party of 3) when I had not tipped intentionally because of the risotto fiasco. This was humiliating and really disappointing for such an "upscale" place. I thought places like that bent over backwards to keep their customers happy but not in this case b/c they wouldn't admit their mistake! I am never going back and will never recommend this place to my friends again either.