Poor Upper West Side: Your prices are high and your food is mostly bad. Your wine bars tend to be predictable and underwhelming. Until the new Cotta aka Osteria Cotta arrived in your neighborhood.
It’s one of the best values I’ve experienced. Pick from a simple and satisfying menu of Italian apps, pizzas, pastas and dessert served in a warm, rustic interior: wooden tables, wine bottles lining the walls, an open upstairs that makes the place feel cozy and spacious at the same time. The low-lit atmosphere is good for a casual date but that’s certainly no requirement; I went with a girlfriend and had fun chatting up local patrons who knew each other—and the bartender. There were even a few children (not a plus for everyone, but at least the place is welcoming). Great prices for the area, including 50 wines under $50, as well as $12 pizza/pastas, $5 salads, $3-4 small plates, etc. Cotta is so new that its website is not even up, but the time to go is now … before what stands between you and your Baked Ricotta is an hour-long wait.
iknowcoolthings 
Sì, è buono!