"When you and your date can’t decide between pizza and pasta, but still want an excuse to dress up and eat in a sleek, dark dining room on the East Side, head to Il Brutto. The wide-ranging menu covers a wide range of Italian classics—from crudos and crostinis to house-made pastas and confited tenderloins—and it covers them all pretty well. But if you want to hit Il Brutto where it’s strongest, stick to just about anything off the antipasti or the pasta sides of the menu. Even better, show up during Happy Hour and you can grab an excellent olive fat-washed martini—or just about anything off the drink menu—for half price. " - nicolai mccrary, raphael brion