Pietro’s is worth a visit, but mostly for its history. The Italian restaurant and steakhouse was founded in Midtown in 1932, and eventually moved to a new space on 43rd Street in 1984. Now they’re on their third location, a few blocks north in Midtown East. Not much has changed, aside from an interior that, with its white tablecloths and nostalgic paintings of NYC, still doesn’t look like it belongs in the 21st century. All of the servers are dressed in formalwear, and most of the clientele appear to be longtime customers who are sentimentally attached. Follow their lead, and bring a small group for a leisurely meal that involves standard-issue chicken parm and a bowl of not-quite-al-dente linguine with a heap of chopped clams. If you enjoy your steaks with an aggressive, salty sear, add one of those to the order as well.
photo credit: Bryan Kim
Food Rundown
Chicken Parmigiana
Pounded thin and topped with sweet tomato sauce and a good amount of bubbly cheese, this chicken parm is exactly what you’re looking for. No more, no less.
photo credit: Bryan Kim
Linguine In Clam Sauce
The linguine itself is fine, indistinguishable from De Cecco. The real selling point of this dish is the intensely garlicky broth. That, and the oddly generous scoop of chopped clams.
photo credit: Bryan Kim
New York Strip Steak
For a steakhouse, Pietro’s doesn’t offer a lot of steaks. Filet or strip are your only choices, and you should go with the latter. It’ll arrive with a blackened crust and perfectly pink interior.
