NYC Restaurants

From the folks at Charlie Bird comes modern Italian at Pasquale Jones on Mulberry Street in Little Italy. The restaurant offers a nice selection of small plates including grilled octopus with mint and ricotta salata; panzanella with heirloom tomato and cucumber; and local fluke crudo with agretti (aka land seaweed), lime and Controne peppers. Several pizzas are offered. There's one topped with San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala and basil, while another gets a coating of littleneck clams, parsley, garlic, lemon and cream. Pasta dishes range from spaghetti with Jonah Crab and squash blossoms to cavatelli with eggplant and smoked ricotta. During the San Gennero Festival, Pasquale Jones was serving a Tuscan pork sandwich made with juicy porketta, bits of crackling and greens on a ciabatta roll. It was amazing. Enjoy it with a nice glass of Italian wine or prosecco.

-Thomas Rafael