Corsino (CLOSED)

Brothers Jason and Joe Denton mastered rustic simplicity with the panini bar ’ino, and the small plates-oriented ’inoteca. At Corsino, their new neighborhood restaurant in the West Village, the Dentons don’t veer much from the straightforward formula that’s served them so well. This modest cantina—with farmhouse-wood walls and candlelight enticing passersby—offers shareable food at prices that encourage repeat visits. The new venue is more sedate than its predecessors’, with a bar scene focused on eating instead of knocking back drinks (though generous Negronis are offered, along with well-priced Italian wines). The large menu satisfies a whole range of appetites. You might make a meal out of snacks—the crostini, $2.50 apiece, come with a vast choice of toppings, including pungent Taleggio under roasted mushrooms. Or opt for a light supper of salumi and family-style salads, like a bracing medley of bitter greens in a bright lemon dressing. A more serious feast might include octopus as meaty as steak, ingenuously paired with potatoes in a sweet amatriciana rag, or toothsome chicken-filled ravioli sauced in sage butter. On recent visits, only a copious entre of braised pork—underseasoned, just short of unctuous—and a bland panino with broccoli rabe and just a hint of anchovy, fell short. Extra-creamy tiramisu reminded us why the overplayed dessert was once such a phenomenon. As Corsino’s packed dining room suggests, Italian food—well priced and done right—needn’t be particularly new or exciting to lure patrons.