I've eaten there twice and the food was no better than twenty other family style Italian places in the city that have none of the silly pretensions associated with Rao's. You'll get the same "atmosphere," but better food at Dominick's on Arthur Avenue, or Bamonte's out in Williamsburg. Plus, you could walk into either of those places and be seated in less than an hour. It sure beats waiting two years .

Rao's is on the corner of 114th and Pleasant. My Dad grew up on Pleasant Avenue, between 117th and 118th Streets. When my grandmother died in 1991, she was one of the last Italian born residents on the block. The neighborhood is almost entirely Latino today. Not that I'm judging. Times change, demographics change .