There are 114 Italian restaurants in Midtown West...

...according to Menupages. Please help me narrow it down.

This will be before Spamalot on a Wednesday evening (which will probably be especially crowded since there will also be post-matinee people).

Our preferences:

Good pasta (fresh, al dente, interesting preparations)

Osso bucco usually on the menu

Tables notrightnexttooneanother

Price not important but not OVERpriced for what you get

Anywhere from West low 50%26#39;s to 40%26#39;s

Can anyone help?

There are 114 Italian restaurants in Midtown West...

If Osso bucco is a must, I think that narrows your options considerably as not many theater district places offer that. Remi or Trattoria Dell %26#39;Arte would be my suggestions. Remi is quieter, more refined/upscale. Food at Trattoria is very very good, but the place is louder and more fun/relaxed. Pasta at both is terrific.

Becco evidently has a good ossobuco, but it%26#39;s loud and can be cramped there. This is the place KNOWN for their $21.95 all you can eat pasta dinner that%26#39;s so popular.

My friend who stayed at the same apt. as you%26#39;ll be in raves about Roberto Passon. I%26#39;ve never been but they don%26#39;t have osso bucco on the menu.

I would really ask this question on chowhound.com

There are 114 Italian restaurants in Midtown West...

Boy, Roberto Passon sure couldn%26#39;t be any more convenient, could it? But it suffers from the crowded table syndrome, too. I guess that%26#39;s a given.

We%26#39;ll take Osso Bucco out of the equation - we live in an area where it is very difficult to get veal (for ethical reasons) so it%26#39;s probably a reason for us to put that behind us, too.

But I%26#39;m still open to other suggestions, too.

For the area you are referring to, I like ViceVersa (been about four times), and Roberto Passon (twice). Both have solid, good food and service. I think you would enjoy either one.

Prefer both to Becco (once) which although serves the decent pasta special the rest of the menu is a bit eh, the pastas aren%26#39;t always wowee, and it%26#39;s uncomfortably loud. Of the three it has the closest tables.

Close tables in general are symptomatic of New York. Real estate is expensive, expect small hotel rooms, small bathrooms and close tables in many restaurants (except the larger, more upscale ones).

.

I think we%26#39;ll try Roberto Passon - right across the street, not a bad walk to the theater.

When I started looking farther afield I came across Strada 57 - anyone ever been there? That looked nice, too.

Thought I%26#39;d mention I finally got around to trying Roberto Passon yesterday, but made the mistake of going for brunch. Oy, don%26#39;t do it (for brunch that is). Mind you, I don%26#39;t doubt dinner can be good. But the place in daylight is nothing to write home about, the food was average at best. The place just wasn%26#39;t run very well. They were running out of things (including change !), orders weren%26#39;t being filled accurately etc. Many of the tables are very close together. It couldn%26#39;t be more convenient to that apt., but I wouldn%26#39;t go for a ';special'; meal. ViceVersa is also nearby and is much nicer.

I ate at Vice Versa and enjoyed it. We went after a play and it seemed that the place was in full party mode by the time we got there and the food and service were great.

I also recommend La Masseria, 235 W 48th street. I have been there three times and the food is always good. The service on occasion has been spotty but not awful. And the prices are good.

The NYT says:

La Masseria isn%26#39;t one of the best Italian restaurants in the city, and it won%26#39;t give you the meal of your life or even your month. But it does what many a respectable restaurant should: suits a given set of circumstances and solves a riddle of requirements. Where do you go if your evening is taking you to a Broadway show, if you want to eat just a few paces from the theater and if you want something that feels wholly comfortable and a bit indulgent but not reckless? You go here, to a spacious dining room decorated to evoke the feel of a farmhouse. That design is a cue for hearty fare, the best of which includes a fritto misto of seafood, a pasta dish with eggplant and smoked mozzarella and a gigantic, juicy veal chop. Skip desserts, which are not the restaurant%26#39;s strong point. -- Frank Bruni

I think ViceVersa is a lot of fun and I like the menu. RP is good for pre theater Italian.

Whiz, I don%26#39;t like brunch in most New York places. You don%26#39;t get the real chefs and you tend to (in my humble opinion) get mostly leftovers. (Read Anthony Bourdain%26#39;s book Kitchen Confidential for the lowdown on brunch.) This is a real shame because a lot of visitors like brunch.