Trattoria Oreste 64 Carmine St. (7th Ave. South & Bedford St.)
West Village
212.675.8736
Trattoria Oreste:
Happily lost in this new world of PR-driven restaurants where guys named Corey O'Brien and Lee Chang are cooking up "authentic" Italian dishes, Trattoria Oreste keeps old-school flavor in this old-school neighborhood. A small, dark wood, ten-seater bar serves after-dinner wines to area locals who dread crowded nouveau eateries. A traditional no-frills trattoria of green and white checked tablecloths (okay, one frill), Trattoria Oreste serves up multiple-course, medium-priced meals of the salad, pasta, entree, and dessert variety which come at a leisurely pace typifying the traditional three-hour Italian eating-all-evening experience. While the roasted loin of pork and veal in lemon sauce speak well for Oreste's Roman/Tuscan/Genovese menu, the brick-oven roasted pizzas can't miss. This white-wine-sauce-obsessed gem won't be mistaken for a Batali restaurant and that's just fine with them. (Oreste is owned by the proprietor of nearby Portobello.)
