restaurants

La Giara

Moving to a different neighborhood in Manhattan is like moving to a new city. You have to find a good dry cleaner, a gym, a Chinese take-out, and of course, a casual Italian restaurant.

Last week my sister and her husband moved to Murray Hill from the Upper East Side. As she was finishing with the movers, my mother and I went out searching for food. We were determined to find a satisfying meal within a five-minute walk of the new apartment.

Walking south on Third Avenue, we came upon La Giara. The restaurant stood out, as the sidewalk tables were full of people on a comfortable evening. After perusing the menu and the patrons' expressions of content, we decided to give it a shot.

We started with steamed mussels with garlic and white wine, which were excellent; after eating the mussels, we soaked up the remaining broth with the bread. Next we shared a simple salad which was, well, simple. While the menu offered a variety of main dishes including fish and a filet mignon, we decided to share two pastas: a linguine bolognese (always a favorite with my mother) and a pappardele with shrimp and asparagus. Both were good although the linguine bolognese was slightly better.

We didn't have dessert as we were meeting my sister at the Cinema Diner next door for her late night dinner. After we talked up her new neighborhood casual Italian restaurant, she decided to order to the spaghetti bolognese against my wishes (I told her to have typical diner food and try La Giara another night). Nevertheless, she claims she enjoyed her meal; however, I will not be reviewing Italian food at the Cinema Diner anytime soon.

Dinner for two with tax and tip at La Giara will cost about $60 (maybe $90 with a bottle of wine). While the restaurant has a full bar, we didn't drink. Service was a little harried because of the crowd, but the management was very nice. Every neighborhood should have a restaurant like this.