Max Soha, 123rd @ Amsterdam

A year ago, my daughter suggested Max Soha as a place to gather when my parents were in town -- and finally we've made our way up, through Columbia's campus, to 123rd and Amsterdam Avenue in South Harlem -- or Soha.  It was a balmy late, October night and we sat outside at a yellow cafe table.

Service was impeccable.  The waiter, the busboy, as well as the owner were all attentive.  When I asked for chianti, the waiter offered to bring me a taste of the wine.  I wasn't sure if I liked it. He brought me a taste of the pinot noir and the malbec, as well.  In the end, I preferred the chianti and he graciously collected the three tasting glasses and returned with a full glass of the deep, red wine.

A chalk board behind us offered several specials -- from a corn soup to a grilled sea bass to a black seafood ravioli.  We started with a misto salad (5.95) we shared -- a light basalmic vinaigrette mixed with greens, chopped endive, and tomato.  We ordered the duck with fettucini and pink sauce special (12.95) and the lamb with thin homemade pasta (11.95). Both were delicious.  And the pasta, homemade, fresh and perfectly al dente, was the best pasta I'd had outside of Italy.  The duck was chopped into bite size chunks and covered with a sweet pink sauce.  The ground lamb sauce was a tomato sauce that was bit rich for my palate -- but David finished it all.  We ordered the tiramisu (5.95) for dessert which was drenched in espresso and filled and covered with a rich mascarpone cheese.

Cash only.  About $25 per person.