Cuisine:

• Diner
• Fine Dining
• Bar
• Brew, Pubs, Microbreweries
• Pub
• Italian
• Southern
• Others

'Cesca Description:
Since it opened in 2003, Upper West Siders starved for topnotch Italian have been clamoring for reservations at this cozy-chic spot. From the open kitchen of chef Tom Valenti's second uptown venture came warmth, energy and heady aromas. That winning atmosphere remains but Valenti does not. Enter head chef Kevin Garcia, an alumnus of several Mario Batali kitchens. Garcia, in a shrewd bid to ingratiate himself with the regulars, held onto a few of the previous menu's most popular dishes, including delicate vegetable fritto misto and pillowy Parmesan fritters. It may take a while, however, for the neighborhood to warm up to his gristly pork chop and crumbly over-smoked arancini. Garcia's rustic skills are more apparent in a charred octopus salad with sweet tomatoes, hot pepper and mint. His pastas, like a simple balanced orecchiette with rapini and sausage, also stand up to scrutiny. Light, enticing desserts, including a creamy hazelnut parfait, further tip the scales in the new chef's direction.


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