Reviews generally start with an introduction, but I'm going to start this one with beef tongue. Because as I sit at my computer it keeps popping into my head, the memory of it, as it has been ever since my visit to Perla last week. Beef tongue with a whisper-thin crust that gives you just the slightest resistance before you get to the impossibly tender meat underneath. Beef tongue that's been in brine for a week before it's braised, then charred. "I can't stop thinking about that beef tongue," confessed the friend I'd brought to dinner the next day, in a conspiratorial tone, over coffee. It does that to you. More

Did New York need another ingredient-driven Italian restaurant, where the base elements are so good the food practically cooks itself? We didn't think so, until we had a killer meal at Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria, the salumeria-trattoria spin-off of its slightly more formal sister restaurant Il Buco. The real question is: where do you start? More

[Photographs: Alice Gao] A meal at Perla will likely prompt two responses: "Wow, this is a really beautiful place to have dinner," and "Wait, there's tripe in this?" In partnership with Fedora's Gabe Stulman, Perla highlights the cooking of executive... More

We're big fans of the eggplant parmesan at Rubirosa, so chef Al Di Meglio let us into the kitchen to show us how they make it—from start to finish. More

Carroll Gardens has a rich Italian-American history. What better way to experience it than to snack your way down Court Street? More

Park Slope restaurant al di la is about as beloved as a neighborhood restaurant can get. So we're guessing that more than a few people will be excited about Bar Corvo, a slender, good-looking restaurant from the same owners, over on Washington Avenue. More

The cuisine draws from worldly influences (Spanish, Cuban, Mediterranean), but its soul is Italian—rich, homey and beautiful in its simplicity. More

Toward the end of our meal, another waiter came over to chat. He mentioned that lately the place had been attracting young people from Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and "even Dumbo," much to his happiness. "Most of our clients have been with us for years," he said. "It's good eats, you know, nothing fancy." Agreed. La Palina is best for: a date that makes you feel like family. More

The time has come for me to come clean and play my best card: Bianca. A wonderful little Italian place, and perhaps my favorite restaurant in the city. More

At cozy Cafe Catania in Brooklyn Heights, the sandwich list is impressive. But I'd recommend you skip the menu and go for a manager's suggestion: their sarde a beccafico on semolina with a bed of arugula and a healthy squeeze of lemon ($11.75). Pricey, but more than worth it. More