Sandro’s

Ebullient chef and owner Sandro Fioriti (Il Buco) is omnipresent in his bustling Roman eatery, whether he’s carving prosciutto on a vintage slicer or racing from the kitchen to the dining room. His menu includes a fine bucatini all’Amatriciana—pleasantly chewy pasta and chubby bits of pancetta in spicy tomato sauce—and a special of prosciutto-stuffed chicken draped in fontina, dotted with tiny mazza di tamburo mushrooms. Caveat emptor: The tiramisu was like something out of a bodega icebox; we ordered the creamy polenta, sweetened with raspberry sauce, instead.