Cuisine:

• Italian
• Breakfast
• Fast Food and Hamburgers

Gemma Description:
Now that CBGB's and most of the SROs are gone, the Bowery has gone to the VIPs. Case in point: this trendy trattoria tucked inside the swank Bowery Hotel, courtesy of the scene-loving duo of Eric Goode and Sean MacPherson (La Bottega, Waverly Inn, The Park). Cured meats and cheese, antipasti, pasta and anything feeding the wood-burning oven drives the menu. Some MVPs: crisp zucchini flowers with a soft ricotta center; moist, aromatic branzino roasted on a cedar plank; bistecca alla Fiorentina, a quality porterhouse that catches juiciness along with char; an al dente spaghetti alle vongole; and a dessert calzone filled with ricotta and Nutella. FYI: keep the pizza simple, as some of the heavier toppings, like spicy sausage and onion, cause the thin crust to droop. And avoid salads altogether, like an artichoke and radicchio combo drenched with truffle oil. What really makes the crowds want to come back ASAP, however, is the sexy Tuscan farmhouse décor, ringed in raw wood, dramatic circular chandeliers, romantic dripping candles and a crowd that personifies the stretch's gentrification. To the Bowery days of the Ramones and "Brother, can you spare a dime?": RIP.


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