Paola's
I like to call Paola's a Upper East Side, Italian version of Pastis. The crowd is a bit older and much more "Upper East Side" instead of the trendy socialites that inhabit in the Meatpacking District, but Paola's looks like an Italian version of Pastis. Like Pastis, Paola puts ceiling fans and giant mirrors to good use in the decor of its restaurant creating a very elegant yet almost casual environment. For now, the patrons at Paola's are mainly wealthy families who live in the area but I'm assuming that will change due to all the write-ups this restaurant is getting. But what is best about Paola's isn't the decor nor the service (which is pretty good by the way), its the food. Paola's serves traditional Italian food and each dish I ordered was above par. The Taglierini Con Funghi was spectacular as well as the Anantra (Duck). The Taglierini Con Funghi consisted of homemade taglerini pasta with a mushroom sauce and a bit of shaved black truffle. The pasta tasted homemade and it was a truly authentic Italian dish. The duck dish consisted of a seared duck breast with a red Italian mushroom risotto and an apricot purée. The apricot complemented the duck perfectly and you really got to taste the contrast of the sweet and savory. While I'm not a fan of risotto, it did happen to taste good and wasn't chunky or too al dente like some risottos can be. Paola's is a good, moderately priced Italian restaurant that should be visited over trendier Italian restaurants that don't deliver the same quality food as Paola's (not to mention any names...Roc in Tribeca).