"Open for: DinnerPrice range: $$Chef-owner Peter Reuter launched separate pasta and pizza concepts in the Van Aken District food hall a few years back, then used the success as a launch pad for this permanent restaurant, a neighborhood pizza and pasta joint that punches well above its weight. Reuter prides himself on making meals from scratch, from naturally fermented pizza dough to house-made pasta. Orecchiette is tossed with crisp-tender broccoli rabe, Kalamata olives, and chunks of zesty sausage, and capped with breadcrumbs and grated cheese, while the mortadella pizza blends mozzarella, lemon zest, pickled shallots, dollops of pesto, and crisp-edged slices of mortadella. If pizza and pasta aren’t your thing, the chef bolsters the menu with a few Italian mains such as chicken parm and braised short ribs with polenta. Best for: The attractive bistro is casual enough for a family pizza party, but sleek enough for a date-night dinner." - Douglas Trattner
