AMBIANCE:\n\nEclectic, casual and fun. It starts with the stuffed moose head over the receptionist's station dubbed, \"Moose-olini\" and spreads to the walls filled with tiny airline-sized bottles of booze, pictures of celebrities and anything else one can think of except the kitchen sink. Who knows everything that is stuck in the ceiling. I was almost afraid to look. One thing I am sure of--it's all been there for a very long time.\n\nENTERTAINMENT:\n\nA tiny, wizened, ancient little man who is seemingly dwarfed by his big accordion. He comes around every half hour for about two minutes, plays very badly (in a \"it's so bad it's great\" sort of way), panders shamelessly for tips and then disappears (probably to get oxygen and rebuild his strength for another two minute appearance a half hour later).\n\nRef: <url> double the value for run-of-the-mill Italian meals that are posted on a board and then try to compensate with free vino by the carafe. In a similar vein to Olive Garden, you can stuff yourself with unlimited garlic bread too. If you drink enough wine and chow down on the garlic bread, you'll enjoy the accordion serenades, go away full, and really not care about the quality of the meal and the price tag. If you're with good friends, it probably will be an enjoyable experience.\n\nOUR EXPERIENCE:\n\nWe walked over to this little hole in the wall before a Penn and Teller show based on our concierge's recommendation. We drank the \"free\" wine, ate a lot of garlic bread, sang a lot of \"Happy Birthday's\" to various folks in the room, listened to the little old man butcher \"O Sole Mio\", and ate pasta dishes. I ordered linguini chopped clams in a white sauce for $26.95. The other dishes were all priced in the mid-twenties. My clams and linguini were of the $11.95 caliber. The wine was simply bad.\n\nIn summary, Battista's must have a very good working concept to stay in business for over 3 decades. That concept just doesn't work for me. I'd even recommend the place for those in a Monty Pythonish mood and looking for \"something completely different.\" If this is the case, just go in with the right expectations which shouldn't be centered around their culinary excellence.\n\nBattista's was the only recommendation by our excellent concierge that I don't heartily endorse.
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