[Pigging by Wilfrid: November 18, 2010]
My recent pilgrimage to Felidia was undertaken partly to provide a benchmark for evaluating the current flood of new Italian openings. A low benchmark it turned out to be, with quite poorly executed food being offered at strapping prices to long-term regulars who had long ago stopped worrying about whether the octopus was chewy or not.

I had higher hopes for Manzo, where Felidia owner Lidia Bastianich is in partnership with her son Joe, the ubiquitous Mario Batali, and doubtless countless others. Welcome to (cringe) Eataly.