Italian cooking ace Michael Berardino—an alum of hot spots
Dell’Anima and
’inoteca—burnished his whole-animal butchering skills at
the Cannibal, and regional knowledge with annual trips to the Boot. At this 65-seat restaurant, the toque brings the whole of his culinary education to bear on a lusty
Italian menu: Fresh pastas, house-carved meats and imported charcuterie take the spotlight here, with starters including tasting platters of different prosciuttos and sweetbreads dressed with parsley root, blueberries and rosemary. Diners can also dig into hearty mains, such as lamb loin with fregula sarda (a semolina pasta), summer squash and mint, or fusilli with a braised-pork tomato sauce spiced with chili peppers, oregano and parsley. The restaurant’s name means “corner” in Italian, and it fits: The space is intimate, resembling a café transported out of 1970s Rome, with black leather banquettes, antique mirrors and orange seats set at dark wood tables.