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New York / Dining / Italian


 

A local favourite for many years that now has the Manhattan crowd coming over to try out its exquisite fare. A trattoria by [name], look and taste, Al Di La’s wine list is thick and the food is rustic. Chef Anna Kilnger trained at Lespinasse before setting out on her own to create a menu that includes roast lamb ragu and goat cheese pasta, grape-roasted duck and fennel-grilled sardines.

 

Around the corner form the hustle and bustle of Little Italy’s 'authentic’ Italian restaurants, Little Charlie’s is about as NYC Italian as you can get. The tables are big; they have to be to accommodate the enormous seafood portions that are served up. The staff are amiable; and the restaurant is well-kept, though it couldn’t be considered designed by any means. Try the clams Sinatra for an appetiser and scampi marinara as a main.

 

Even with reservations you may have to wait a bit for a seat, as folks tend to sit around and chat long after their meal has finished in this comfortable little candle-lit bar and restaurant. A spin-off from the successful Babbo’s, Lupa serves up Roman fare like squash-onion caponata and sweet and sour sardines. Try the spicy lamb sausage and other house-cured meats to taste the chef’s pride and joy.

 

One of those slightly shabby places that is suddenly popular with every pretty young thing in the city, Angolo certainly could use a remodel, but then its charm would probably be lost. Many an old- timer inhabit the benches outside, as waiters with barely comprehensible English fire off a seemingly unending list of specials. Try the pesto lasagna if you’re a garlic lover; it has full cloves, and for a delicious and rich meal, order the lobster- stuffed ravioli.