Portofino (CLOSED)

If your idea of perfect Italian is linguine with clams and chicken parm, keep walking. At Portofino, chef Michael LaPlaca doesn’t so much deliver the staples as navigate deftly between creativity and comfort, developing original dishes that satisfy on both accounts. Think pumpkin spice gnocchi with braised venison, hand-cut fettuccine in foie gras alfredo or groan-worthy burrata agnolotti served with lobster, chanterelles and roasted corn butter. LaPlaca even invented his own pasta shape, the hand-torn “ripatelli,” which serves as a canvas for wild boar bolognese with roasted tomato sauce and goat cheese pesto.