If you are looking for an old school Italian restaurant that serves traditional dishes from northern Italy, Il Tinello Ristorante might be the place for you. Opening about 30 years ago, it is an elegant and pricey restaurant in Midtown Manhattan. I admit that I do not remember that much aboutnthe decor, the lights being very dimmed, making me worry about the photos I would take during the meal. 

There, you will find classic dishes and it seems the Chef has no intention to add his own twist. But, hey, Classic Italian is fantastic, so why change it! Menu wise, Italian food lovers will be pleased: there is homemade pasta, seafood or meat, with plenty of vegetarian dishes. There, you will also notice the cart of antipasti, as well as the cart of dessert, that the waiters in white jackets tried to push in the tight space between tables. 

I was there with a friend and we shared couple of dishes that the staff nicely split in separate plates. To start, they brought a bruschetta, as well as some bread. 

The first appetizer that came was the tuna tartare. Right away, as they knew we would share dishes, they split them evenly; I thought it was a nice gesture.

The tartare was ok, missing a bit of acidity. Then was the linguine all'amatriciana, a thick sauce made with tomato, pancetta and onions. This is definitely a delicious comforting dish, but I wish there was more sauce in it. 

Then, I tried the scampi il tinello, or shrimp in a white wine sauce and a touch of pesto. Quite good, the shrimp were of a nice size. 

But my favorite was the veal Milanese, a breaded veal chop nicely pounded, served with arugula. Perfect dish that had a slight crispness from the delightful breading. I definitely recommend it. 

Last was a decent homemade tiramisu. 

They also brought some Italian cookies with our coffee.

I should add that I had wine, but I do not recall the name of it and did not have a photo of the bottle (I took it by the glass)...

It was a good meal, but I admit that I found much better Italian options in the area, such as Osteria Del Circo, Remi or Il Corso. Would I go back? Maybe...

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