4 Nitin Pauletti - 4 years ago
One block further from the busy 5th Avenue you'll find this small restaurant tucked in next to a Thai place. We came with a relatively large group, 9 people, and no reservation. They were able to accommodate us with ease at the time as they were not too busy.
Service:
The waiters were attentive and answered all of our questions with ease, even taking the time to make small talk about Tuscan cuisine. After ordering our food, it took around 30 minutes for the food to arrive. While eating they still were attentive and quickly were able to fulfill our requests for water. All in all, the service was exceptional and made our experience at Santa Croce even better.
Food:
No one in our group chose to order a starter, but all sounded rather pleasing. The bread is baked in house and although I wasn't warm when it got to our table, it had a nice crust and a soft interior. There is both Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar from Modena on the table to complement the house-made bread.
For mains, we got a mix of pastas and one order of the fresh fish (served whole). All the dishes were the perfect size, not too much to feel bloated, but large enough to feel satisfied. We had two orders that came with lobster which was perfectly cooked and had a nice sweetness to it. The whole fish was crispy and moist, not at all dry. The pasta is all made in house and tasted incredible.
Dessert was on its own worth trying this new restaurant. Panna Cotta is one of my favorite dishes of all time, so naturally I went with the traditional Strawberry version. I have to say, it is in the top three panna cottas I've had. One of the waiters' mother makes the tiramisu and came highly recommended. It was a general consensus that it was extremely tasty and unique.
As a whole, Santa Croce is a gem within the craze that is downtown PDC. If you ever get tired of the Mexican cuisine, or even just want authentic and hearty Italian food, stop by 10th Avenue to be amazed.
