"Andrew Tarlow’s first Manhattan restaurant channels his Brooklyn sensibility in a storied Park Avenue South space at 124 E. 27th Street. The room feels stunning but understated — candlelit tables, a wood-fired oven and logs flanking a mantel, white tablecloths layered with butcher paper marked with cursive reservation names, and a sloped, wine-cave-like ceiling that opens toward a light-filled back dining area with a garden and waterfall. Steered by chef Jordan Frosolone, the Italian menu doesn’t adhere to one region but offers crowd-pleasing dishes: the timballo di Anelletti from Abruzzo (the go-to order), focaccia from Bari, rotating suppli ($16) — currently a spicy Amatriciana — beef-heart spiedini ($22), linguine with clams and bottarga ($31), and a rustic fava puree with marinated greens ($18). Service is very good and clearly a team effort in this 140-seat room. The dining room can get loud the way restaurants used to be; for people-watching try a table by the glass doors to the back garden. Wine-wise, you can splurge on a Sicilian Frappato from Occhipinti ($108) or explore more affordable Italian selections by the glass or bottle from Umbria and Campania alongside French and American pours." - Melissa McCart