Brooklyn's locavore movement shows no sign of slowing, and the latest entrant—this Northern Italian tavern in Boerum Hill—has all the makings of a neighborhood insta-classic. The team is stacked with pedigree: partner Julian Brizzi stirred cocktails at Prime Meats and Hotel Delmano, while chef Joe Pasqualetto earned his haute-dining chops at Gilt, Daniel and Cafe Boulud. Locals can pop in throughout the day for a Stumptown coffee and house-made pastry in the morning or an Italian-influenced cocktail at the marble bar come nightfall. At dinner, there are meaty dishes like tomato-braised oxtail or penne with wild boar ragù, but the real focus here are the veggie-glorifying seasonal plates, such as Tuscan kale with wild rice, pecorino and a poached farm egg, and tagliatelle with fava beans, garden herbs and baby squid. The restaurant is even sharing its carefully sourced stock: Sign up for its Twitter feed (@rucolanyc) to find out what produce Rucola's selling.
