Destino Restaurant, Say it ain't so Justin Timberlake

Very rarely do I succumb to restaurant hype from magazines, especially when tied to celebrities. I got suckered last night when I ate at Destino in NYC. After reading a piece in Gotham Magazine that stated, “A refreshing change from the cities overabundance of fusion fare,” I got on www.opentable.com and made a reservation. Truthfully the fact that Justin Timberlake owned a piece of the place wasn’t a factor. The tipping point was learning that the kitchen was run by former Rao chef Mario Curko. Rao is a red sauce dining super star. The best part of the meal was the meatball appetizers, though at $14 for two they damn well should be great. The food spiraled downhill from there. The chicken parm was covered with tasteless cheese and Lil’s chicken plain awful. Its no wonder that the owner’s page on the restaurant’s site is blank, If Timberlake is a part owner he should make sure the page stays that way. The only good thing that came out of the choice was using Open Table, they get five stars.

http://www.destinony.com/

http://www.gotham-magazine.com/