Vitello Tonnato (thinly sliced roasted veal topped w/ tuna - mayonnaise & asparagus tips)
by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
June 10, 2006
TEODORA
141 E 57th St
(3rd & Lexington Aves)
New York, NY 10022
212-826-7101
Teodora is the first and oldest sibling of the popular and successful Italian restaurants Celeste (on the UWS) and Bianca (in the East Village). Teodora is located in Midtown on 57th Street and is considered fancier and pricier than the other two restaurants. I was told by the staff at Celeste and Bianca that Teodora is their high-end, fine dining Italian restaurant, but as it turns out, the food served is a cross between Celeste and Bianca — just at a higher price point. It seems that Bianca is an offshoot of Teodora as, out of the three restaurants, there is the most similarity between their menus. There is that same spaghettini pomodoro here, but for $14.50 instead of $9.50. The salads are mostly identical, as are the antipasti.
Needless to say, I was disappointed since I was hoping for a different type of dining experience than the ones at Celeste and Bianca. Of course, I love the pastas and home-style cooking of these restaurants, but why would I pay the premium to eat at this Midtown location when the food is the same but the ambiance lesser in comparison? Bianca perhaps is the most charming of the three restaurants, but Celeste has the energizing, never-ending crowds and Carmine — the vivacious and talkative co-owner who oversees the front of the house. The only advantage Teodora has is that it takes credit cards — is this why the same dish here costs about $2 to $5 more than at the other two restaurants?
Most offensive of all was the wine by the glass selection. It’s no secret that this is an area that the three restaurants have never had much interest in, as they want people to focus on wine by the bottle. So when you ask what wines are available by the glass, the waiter only bothers to ask you white or red, after which you have simple options of single varietals: Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Sangiovese and Merlot. The waiter does not disclose nor expect you to ask about the producer or any other information, mostly because it’s really not worthwhile. But judging from the $9 “Sangiovese” I got, which was really disgusting, I’d say the entire bottle should not have cost much more than $3. I stopped drinking it because it was ruining the taste of my meal, which was by no means impressive.
I’m sure Teodora is bustling on weekdays since it’s in Midtown, but on Saturday night, it was virtually empty, and it seems that the restaurant’s heart and soul had checked out too. The spinach salad was mediocre and the tuna tartar was yucky. The saving grace of the evening was the thinly sliced roasted veal with tuna-mayonnaise and asparagus tips.
I actually enjoyed watching the three Japanese businessmen next to me devour their pastas more than eating my own meal. They obviously did the right thing — stick to the pastas and get a bottle of wine. And honestly, it’s not that I didn’t know to follow that formula, but I was hoping to try a “Teodora” experience and not a “Celeste” or “Bianca” experience.
But alas, Teodora does not have anything drastically different or impressive to offer. It made me wonder, so why did I come here instead of my neighborhood Bianca? I really couldn’t stand being there for much longer, so I asked for the check while my sister was still in the middle of eating her main dish. Yes, rather rude of me but I had to get out quickly. While I don’t get claustrophobic, my phobia of bad dining experiences produces the same reaction — the frantic need to get the hell out.
Also in Italian, Midtown East, Veal
