Old School - there is really just no other way to describe Bamonte's. It's what you picture when someone says old school, mob-run Italian food in Williamsburg. It's located a bit away from the hipster scene but close enough that it's walking distance from the Beford or Lormier stop. When you walk in, you get a distinct feeling that everyone there has been either going there for years and knows each other already.
So I have actually been here before, many many years ago before I ever started this blog. But clearly nothing has changed one bit. Once you walk in, it's quite dark - the red walls are lined with lots of old photos and certificates and there is not a single window in the whole place, so you kind of feel like you are trapped in a Las Vegas casino. But that's all part of the charm. The menu is exactly what you thought it would be - huge with lots of traditional options. We ended up not doing the typical family style sharing and just ordered our own dishes. I opted to start with the mozzarella and tomato ($11) starter and the classic rigatoni with vodka sauce ($17) for my entree. As you can imagine the portions here are all enormous. I had 4-5 huge slices of mozzarella and tomato. It was moist and fresh but it could have used a pinch of salt and seasoning to it or olive oil - it was a bit bland served totally plain without either of those two ingredients.
As for the entree - it was a monster. It was enough to feed 2 people. The pasta itself was good and what's not to like about vodka sauce but you could tell that it didn't come from a fancy pants kitchen like L'Artusi - it definitely felt more homey and comforting. Again, this dish could have also used some more seasoning and salt to it. I tried a bit of Jill's veal parm and it was nicely breaded and sauced and quite tasty. Everyone's dish just looked very mom and pop - which I'm saying in the nicest possible way.
I do want to call out the service - it was exactly what you would expect. We had what looked like an 80 year old man who probably had been working there for over 50 years. He was quite sweet and nice and gave us tips about our upcoming trip to Croatia but he was also quite slow. They really really want you to just stick around and enjoy your meal - which we did with a few bottles of wine but at some point, we were feeling antsy and wanted to get the check. Overall, it's not some major culinary destination but given the complete commercialization of the neighborhood, there is starting to be fewer and fewer places like this around and I do truly appreciate places like Bamonte's - even if it is becoming a bit of a touristy trap in itself. If you know what to expect going into this place, you'll have a fun time. Total bill: $300 for 6 with tax, tip and drinks
Photo Credit: Yelp
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