This East Village restaurant was, for a long time, the talk of the town. Located at the fancy Bowery Hotel, Gemma is actually a bit noisy, but has good reasonably priced food and an extensive typically Italian menu. In our last visit, the Fritto Misto appetizer was slightly oily but still very tasty, and the carciofi salad and tuna were delicious. In general the pasta dishes were good, the pizza crunchy yet the absolute highlight of the evening was the perfect costolettas (grilled pork chops). This is a great spot for people watching and do enjoy pre-dinner cocktails at the lounge at the Bowery Hotel next door.