Falai
Faliai on Clinton Street and Rivington bills itself as an Italian and wild game restaurant. To be sure, roasted rabbit is on the menu at $26. So is pan-roasted lamb loin, with fregola, chanterelles, tomato compote, and goat milk jelly at $27.
There is a four course "Menu Tradizone" for $50 per person, which must be ordered by everyone at the table. For an extra $45 per person, the sommelier will pair wines with each course.
The cheese menu alone is worth a visit to Falai. All five choices are ingeniously paired with their accompaniments. Blu Del Moncenisio (Piemonte) cow's milk blue cheese is served with citrus honey, honey poached pears, and a walnut date bar, for example. (All prices as of 2009.)
Falai
68 Clinton Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 253-1960
falainyc.com/
Nonna Apa
At the opposite end of the spectrum is affordable Italian comfort food including pizza. Batali does that as well, but so does Nonna Apa, a new spot for solid Italian fare on Clinton Street. Nonna Apa is open seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. to midnight, so breakfast is in the mix. Try the breakfast sandwich with Italian sausage, peppers, sauteed onions, and eggs, sprinkled with parmesan cheese on a toasted buttered roll for $5.50.
Pizzas come three ways: by the slice, by the large round traditional pie, and in a square. Toppings are traditional and include kalamata olives and breaded eggplant.
The pastas are Italian soul food pure and simple. The only entree over $10 is the lasagna at $12. (All prices as of 2009.)
Nonna Apa
105 Clinton Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 477-2708
Il Posto Accanto
Between these two equally great extremes is a moderately priced option, Il Posto Accanto on East 2d Avenue. The menu in this candlelit wine bar emphasizes small plates, and most wines--varietals from around Italy--are reasonably priced and available by the bottle, the carafe, the half carafe and the glass. Pastas are under $14, and nothing on the food menu is more than $20. Try the half spring chicken marinated in garlic, lemon, rosemary and thyme, then grilled under a brick. (All prices as of 2009.)
Il Posto Accanto
192 E 2nd Street
New York, NY 10009
(212) 228-2969
About The Author
Lois Lawrence is an attorney and freelance writer living and working in Stonington, Conn. She has written on many subjects including travel, food, consumerism, relationships, insurance and law. Lawrence earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1976, and a Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law in 1979.
