'Cesca

164 West 75th St.,
New York, NY, 10023
212-787-6300


Even though we live in Midtown, we are negligent in dining on the Upper Westside, which continues a recent trend to be the destination location for interesting new places. Over the next few months we will hopefully report on a number of the newer places.

One fine restaurant that has been around a while that has the combination of excellent food, good service and a wonderful ambiance is ‘Cesca. Unfortunately many people know that fact, and therefore it remains a difficult reservation to obtain. But either with advanced planning or willingness to sit in the more casual open front section, it is worth the effort to dine at ‘Cesca.

'Cesca is an outstanding restaurant. The menu is extensive and the food captures Italian cuisine without trying to exactly duplicate what you would eat in Italy. Rather it incorporates local regional ingredients, flavors and recipes to achieve what we consider a perfect balance of American and Italian cuisines.

As an example on a recent visit we started with two excellent salads, both with fresh ingredients; arugula, radicchio, Gorgonzola, pecans, etc,, and dressed to perfection. For mains we had a perfectly prepared duck and one of the best pork chops each accompanied by Italian inspired sides.

The wine list is an outstanding of excellent Italian wines, moderately priced, featuring lesser known but outstanding examples of the various regions. Wine service is casual and could be improved.

Apart from the wine service, the service at all levels is outstanding. Reservations are honored. The wait staff is knowledgeable and helpful.

The decor is comforting and promotes a relaxed and friendly dinning experience. The front bar area has casual communal seating, but in a very pleasant environment. There are private dinning nooks along the aisle past the open kitchen, and a large, comfortable and perfectly illuminated main dining area. The seating is a series of groupings that provides intimacy despite the large area.


In summary, if 'Cesca was in any place other than Manhattan, it would likely be the best in town.

‘Cesca – Highly Recommended