Vinci’s never gets the love that it deserves. Perched on a rather out-of-the-way block, 61st and 1st, I imagine that almost all of the pizza/restaurants business comes from hungry patrons of the nearby rather dilapidated cineplex and regular neighborhood folk such as myself.

It’s easy to explain Vinci’s lure. They make pretty good thin crust pizza, decent pasta that’s almost always cooked al dente and if you’re sitting in the back, restaurant area you can actually get a decent veal chop or piece of grilled salmon with a glass of wine for a very fair price.

I rely on Vinci’s for two things that I usually order every week or so, the grilled calamari salad and the veal cutlet sandwich. The grilled calamari salad ($8.50) packs a hearty amount of charcoal grilled squid tentacles and rings over a house salad with a delicious homemade vinaigrette, the perfect dressing for the hot fresh bread you’re given on the side. Vinci makes all of their food to order and the sandwiches are no exception. Order a chicken or veal cutlet and they’ll pound it out, bread it and fry it in the back. I like it on their semolina rolls with lettuce, tomato, thin slices of red onion and some of that wonderful dressing on the side ($6.75). You also won’t be disappointed by their Spaghetti Amatriciana (as long as you’re not expecting Lupa’s version of the classic Roman sauce ) or their Veal Milanese which is about the same size as an LP and comes with tons of fresh lemon wedges.

I’m writing about Vinci’s because I don’t think anyone else has and that’s a shame. In an area in which Sushi Seki reigns supreme and every restaurant in the immediate vicinity is usually treated less than second citizens, Vinci’s deserve more praise than the 10,000 pizzerias in NYC pretending to be more than what they truly are.

Vinci’s – 1122 1st Avenue (Between 61st and 62nd Streets) NY, 10065, (212) 751-1122

Filed under: Italian Food, Sandwiches Tagged: | al dente, charcoal grilled, cineplex, grilled calamari salad, grilled salmon, Lemon Wedges, Lupa, pasta, Pizza, Pizzerias, Roman Cuisine, semolina rolls, Spaghetti Amatricana, Sushi Seki, thin crust pizza, veal chop, Veal Cutlet Hero, Veal Milanese, Vinci's