Il Poeta - Forest Hills

My family and I went to Il Poeta on Mother's Day. We were a party of 5 (4 adults, 1 child), and our reservation was for 3:30 pm. We arrived on time and were seated immediately. The restaurant is sort of small and was very busy, which we liked. The ambiance was upbeat. Our primary server, Hector, was absolutely lovely. He was very attentive and patiently detailed all of the specials to us. The food came quickly and was delicious. Even the bread for the table was good! We ordered appetizers... crab cakes and baked clams lots of flavor. Our main courses were the Parmesan crusted chicken breast, the steak, and my kid ordered the penne Alfredo with grilled chicken. Honestly, everything was perfectly cooked and flavorful. We were all pleased. We also ordered cocktails, and they were awesome (on the strong side, which we didn't complain about)! Try the Lady Passion or the Espresso Martini. The Chocolate Martini and the Peach Martini were also nice. Dessert was lovely. We tried the apple tart, the vanilla gelato, and my personal favorite, which was a nut crusted amaretto ice cream. We'll definitely return. It wasn't cheap, but we all agreed that it was well worth it!

I finally tried this restaurant after passing by multiple times. It's fancier dining compared to other restaurants in the area but no pressure to dress up. Tablecloth, ambiance, mood lighting, you name it. Fairly kid friendly so we felt comfortable eating here with our little ones. They have a good kids menu $10). We opted to try all adult dishes instead and the kids really enjoyed it. Eggplant and ricotta croquettes usually a fan of anything fried with cheese for an appetizer and this was surprisingly good. My oldest daughter really enjoyed this. It comes on top of a flavorful tomato sauce and bed of spinach. Penne pasta with salmon and asparagus great option for those who want a protein and vegetable all in one. This was the main reason I selected this dish. Great to share and kid approved. Chicken breast in parmesan crust and white wine, lemon sauce delicious. Loved the texture of the chicken, flavor, portion and taste. The mashed potatoes were soft and silky. I really enjoyed this dish! Roast chicken not bad! Baked potatoes served with the roast chicken. Good sharing dish. Panna cotta not sure what really good panna cotta is supposed to taste like but this seemed good to us! Firm, good texture, taste and presentation. The strawberry and raspberry decoration boosted the flavor profile. The food took a while to come out but it was an enjoyable atmosphere. Certainly didn't feel like we were on Metropolitan Avenue. After our meal, they gave a plate of bite sized cookies. Adorable and friendly gesture. Also a nice way to wrap up our meal. Il Poeta is a great choice for celebrations, special occasions or just a way to treat yourself.

We came here for a birthday celebration. Omg. The truffle taglettele was amazing! The other pastas were just okay. The braised sorry ribs were good, nothing super outstanding. The tiramasu was awesome! Service was great, although they are not sommeliers... so, know your own wine! The decor was standard Italian restaurant.

First and foremost, I want to attest -in writing- that no individual associated with Il Poeta asked me to submit a review. I mention this as we have enough societal charlatans who try to control every aspect of our responses, reactions, and thought process. That being said, the experience this restaurant affords is magically splendid to say the least. Our dignified and utterly charming server was Sergio. He exudes class by being a thoughtful, caring and conscientiously intelligent man. He is the type of assiduous gentleman who will not idolize an athletic or movie celebrity if that person is not a thoroughly decent human being. His food recommendations were on point and he simply makes you feel like you are the only party in the room without being overbearing. Total class. Then, we have the head chef and owner, Mario, whose reputation precedes him. He is a dignified bon vivant who does not allow his own happiness or ambition to exceed a win win collective attitude. He seems most galvanized when others in his milleu advance and progress. His gastronomic creations are sublime but not pretentious. A deceivingly simple menu item like like the potato leek soup of the day was exemplary. Few ingredients and directness intertwined with humble industriousness. Like the master opera composers or Italian poets whose stanzas seamlessly touched every element of the emotional spectrum, his multifaceted mastery of texture, taste and transparency has no rival. The gnocchi had character and definition in the periphery but were light as a carefree feather in the essentially expansive center. Mario has warmth and unwavering sincerity that is manifested when you realize you taste a collective flavor buttressed by and celebrated by individual nuances of flavor which simultaneously explode and implode by simply existing, giving you a sense of epicurean living and not only a sense of purpose. This restaurant is a great destination and I look forward to interacting more with Serio and Mario. The staff is replete with those you would want to have as friends. Un abbraccio

First time visitors to Il Poeta last night after passing by so many times. We are sorry we did not stop in sooner. We had an exquisite meal with each of us choosing from the specials for the night, one lovely risotto and the me freshly fileted orata, topped off by desert and grappa. Owner/chef Mario di Chiara comes out and walks the floor and spent some time at our table speaking with us as well. It's such a revelation when you sit down for a meal and have such outstanding service (thanks Luis) along with delicious food and wine.