Aug 15: Trattoria Nervosa ★★

It was fitting to dine at the sister store of Gusto for a direct comparison only one day apart. Nervosa is almost a fixture of Yorkville, an unpretentious trattoria with reasonable prices. Lines on a Wednesday night show the restaurant’s mass appeal. Diners are tightly seated in open-window room that forgoes air conditioning in favour of a desultory breeze. It’s a nice vantage out to the realm of the well-to-do, a wonderland of snazzy cars, sundresses and yellow-brick homes. With such a light-hearted atmosphere, it welcomes anyone looking for a quick bite. Unfortunately, the similarly playful service became too casual to bear. Unhearing, oblivious and brash waiters talk over diners and suggest clicking the “first one [button]” when allocating the tip (it was 15%, a few percentage points too generous for the rude performance). The primavera pizza is a favourite but managed to be slightly soggy and thus not ‘spring-like’ at all. This was an unfortunate occurrence; every restaurant has its bad day.

Primavera (Pizza): Tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, spinach, roasted grape tomatoes, grilled zucchini, taggiasch olives $15