"Eating at Ummo feels like hanging out in a friend’s loft apartment—if your loft-owning (or potentially squatting?) friend also made fresh pasta. Colorful, framed posters cover every inch of the walls, while energetic funk and soul music fuel the open space. And that excitement carries over to the food. Couples are enthusiastically breaking open a playful tomato-shaped dessert full of raspberry compote, or splitting tasty bowls of lobster ravioli. At a larger table, another group is kicking off the night with dry-aged steak drizzled with tangy bagnetto verde. And when you throw in a second floor with a DJ, pool table, and lots of couches for lounging, there’s no reason the party has to stop after the cacio e pepe." - adrian kane, john ringor, veda kilaru, nick allen