"Some restaurants provide a fun scene. Others have good food. Torrisi, a cavernous spot in Nolita from the folks behind Carbone and The Grill, checks both of those boxes. Packed every night, it’s the kind of place where you can enjoy an impressive meal and see a pop star eating linguini next to their security detail in a crushed velvet booth. The menu is inventive and Italian-ish, with dishes like rotisserie lamb and wonton-like raviolini stuffed with prawns. Start with one of the house martinis, and don’t leave until a server wearing a tux brings you a slice of Sicilian date cake. Reservations are released online 30 days in advance at 10am. There's also a large bar area up front that's saved for walk-ins. We came on a weeknight around 6pm to see if we could snag a few of those seats, and they quoted us a four-hour wait. So maybe bring a crossword—or come for lunch." - bryan kim, kenny yang, will hartman