Osteria del Circo - (347) 205-8112

• Authentic Italian Cuisine
• Sophisticated Big Top Decor
• Private Dining

Upon arriving for restaurant week we were told by our waiter (not the host, Bruno) that there was no gas in the kitchen and that we could only order a salad, a soup or a pizza, due to their inability to heat foods. After realizing that he was not joking, the host came over and apologized. I asked if I could have the wild boar stew that was on the prix fixe menu and he quickly told me that he said I could have a soup, NOT a stew and that a stew is different than a soup. I found this offensive as the statement was obvious but that the laws of thermal dynamics would disagree. If you can heat a soup, why can't you heat a stew? The stew/polenta was what made me choose the restaurant in the first place, so if I could not have it, I was definitely not going to spend $30 on a pizza or $20 on a salad. We told him we were going to leave. After ushering us to the door, he asked to wait a minute while he checked the kitchen. He returned 3 minutes later and the gas was magically in working order. We sat down again. I had the baby octopus which was quite tasty. The stew / polenta was a huge letdown, almost flavorless. Maybe it was because I built it up all week in my head, but I highly doubt it. My dining companion thought it to be bland, too. He however, liked his brick chicken a lot and commented on its level of moistness two or three times while eating. Oh, and we thoroughly enjoyed our desserts. For a $30 three course meal, it's worth trying but I've much better quality food at restaurant week than at Circo.

If you are expecting "fine dining" (such as at Morton's, Ruth's Chris, etc.), forget it. The service was poor. Our party of five had to continually ask for things. The water goblets would be completely empty, and we'd have to ask at least twice each time to have them filled. The rib-eye steak was not cooked consistently throughout. It was supposed to be medium-well, which part of it was. Part of it was also medium, and another portion of it was well-done. They did not have au jus. On a positive note, the cannolis were excellent! But, I still wouldn?t recommend eating at Osteria del Circo.

My husband and I had eaten at Circo in Las Vegas and were very impressed. We were at an event, however, so the menu items were limited. We wanted to try the restaurant again and be able to order what we wanted. We opted for the snapper for two and was pretty much the best whole fish we have ever had, and we have eaten a lot, including in Italy. Service was a little slow at first, but they made up for it throughout the meal, including serving a soup in between our app and entree that we did not order, and sorbet and cookies at the end of the meal. We sat outside, which was lovely, especially in October, so I can't speak for the ambiance inside the restaurant. I hear that their desserts are to die for, and I can say that the creme brulee that I had in Vegas was heavenly, but I was just too full to order one this time. Hopefully next time.