455 E. 114th St.New York, NY212-722-6709

The recording on the answering machine says “Our 2007 restaurant book is filled, we’re not accepting any reservations and we don’t respond to any messages.” In other words, go away. Unless you’re one of the regulars who own the 11 tables, the guest of one or the former President of the United States (and even Bill Clinton had to borrow a table instead of getting a reservation on his own) chances are that you’re not getting into this Southern Italian social club. But miracles have been known to happen. One tip might be to go to the bar on the night of a blizzard, befriend Nick the bartender and hope they’ll let you sit down if a table’s owner doesn’t show up. There’s also a branch now in Las Vegas, designed to recreate the original. But, obviously, it’s not the same.