Piora is one of those places in West Village that you could pass by without noticing. Minimalistic and modern décor surprisingly makes it cozy and romantic in a way. From leather covered tables to carefully chosen dishware you can enjoy your meal and the company in the laid back atmosphere. You can come here to have a business dinner or celebrate special occasion with your significant other.

The main dinning room is in the back with a large window and nicely lit greenery outside. This makes you forget you are in the city and it creates countryside feeling. Music quietly played in the background allows having a private conversation without screaming to a person across the table.

Upon our arrival we were greeted by a host and every staff member we passed by on the way to our table. The restaurant was only half filled with guests. There were many waiters working, it almost felt like there were too many of them for a room that size. However, we found ourselves waiting couple minutes too long to be asked what we want to drink. The food was coming in timely manner but the dirty plates were not cleaned soon enough. In fact the wait was so long that we decided to skip the dessert. The staff was nice and pleasant but the service itself needs some improvement.

Piora offers interesting Italian menu with Korean twist. The food is plated in a clean and modern way that matches the overall theme of the restaurant. We started with monkey bread, which comes with seaweed butter and whipped garlic ricotta cheese. This is a must. The bread was everything you expect, fresh, warm, and fluffy, made to order. Seaweed butter has strong flavor and you need to be seaweed lover to enjoy it on each bite. Whipped garlic ricotta is perfect second option if you decide to skip seaweed butter. The bread did not disappoint, to the point that you need to stop yourself before the bread becomes your actual meal. The chef served amuse bouche that night, it was potato soup, which we enjoyed, but with no fireworks.

For appetizers we ordered squash and pork belly. Both appetizers delivered, amazingly developed flavors met our expectations. The portions were perfect, not too small and not too big, just enough to fully savor interesting flavors combination. Our main dishes came fairly quickly, we ordered Rigationi with duck sausage and Rohan duck with plums and beets. Unfortunately this is where things started slipping. The rigatoni was too salty with no sophisticated flavor; the presentation was not creative either, just a bowl of pasta. After having amazing appetizers our expectations were high. The duck dish was well-balanced combination of plums and beets sweetness with saltiness of the duck. However; the duck was so chewy it was impossible to eat or finish the dish for that matter. Out of 4 pieces I chewed on three, it was difficult to eat the meat. I gave up before I got to the last piece.

In summary this place is good for a cocktail and an appetizer, but do your belly a favor and go somewhere else for an entrée.

Cuisine: Korean-Italian

Avg price per person: $70, all major credit cards accepted

Attire: Casual, semi formal

Overall Rating: 3 plates