Back to catching up on the restaurant reviews from New York back in December. . .(luckily, we're pretty sure these popular places haven't closed)! I can't recall where we learned about Lombardi's, but it didn't take us long to understand why it was so popular. I will give a warning here: The wait for a late lunch was one and a half hours. The problem is, I hear there's always a wait. I am willing to bet that comes with living in a big city, but that also comes with wanting some really good food.

I've heard people say that some restaurants make you wait so the food tastes better--cause you're too hungry to care. Just like with our favorite pizza haunt in Rome, this is not the case. The wait is just that long because the food is just that good.

The encouragement: the staff is very efficient in order to minimize wait time. We were very impressed at how quickly a bus-boy cleaned off a table and reset it very smoothly. Also, it seemed the wait staff was always on top of things to make sure you had the drinks you wanted and to provide you with your food very quickly. I assure you, the time you are inside the restaurant eating is considerably less than the time you are outside the restaurant waiting. But who cares!

Paul and I shared a simple house salad with mixed greens, mushrooms, red onions, and tomatoes under a generous amount of creamy Italian dressing. It was very good. However, it wasn't as good as the Margheritta pizza. Well cooked, but not burned, not greasy, and a very generous amount of sauce made the pie a hit with us.

On a sad note, I believe there are only three unisex restrooms in the restaurant--each in a different location, and at least one on each floor. There was also generally a line for that, too. If you're 30 weeks pregnant like I was, plan ahead. Get in line before you have to. I guess that statement could also apply to being a hungry diner. Get there and get in line before you are starving. Just get there!