Pete Wells Gives 2 Stars To All'onda

This week, New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells gives two stars to Greenwich Village's All'onda, which he says is "not quite like any other place."

"The space glows with warm invitation to passers-by on East 13th Street, who can see the communal table and bar downstairs and, through second-story windows, the main dining room," Wells says. "Inside, there are no terrifying beasts with Japanese heads grafted onto Italian torsos, no teriyaki calf's liver or soba pesto."

The blending of Italian and Japanese cuisines by chef Chris Jaeckle is "done so smoothly, you hardly notice," he says. "It's as if an Italian menu had a raging crush on Japan and couldn't stop bringing it up in conversation."

Jaeckle makes two dishes "so appealing that he will have a fight on his hands if he tries to take them off the menu:" bucatini with sea urchin and short rib for two.

To top it off, Wells notes the impressive wine list: "Especially impressive is the carefully edited selection of affordable nebbiolos and the range of 40 sparkling wines, which makes welcome detours beyond Prosecco."

"...There's a bit of sake, too, as there is in all the best Japanese-Venetian places," Wells adds.

For Wells' full review, click here.