With all due respect to Buca di Beppo, Maggiano’s, and even the Olive Garden, these 15 Italian restaurants distinguish themselves as some of the best America has to offer.
Dallas
Nonna
This isn’t strictly authentic regional Italian food. Instead, Nonna–carved out of the foyer of The Food Company catering firm–employs a strict Italian approach (freshness, simplicity) while borrowing and combining ingredients and influences and techniques from all over the Italian…More >>
| Nonna chef Julian Barsotti does everything by hand. |
Denver
Venice Ristorante & Winebar
As far as Italian food goes in Denver, it doesn’t get any better than Venice. As a matter of fact, as far as Italian food goes just about anywhere outside of Italy (and possibly parts of New York and Philadelphia), it doesn’t get any better than Venice, the restaurant that Alessandro Carollo…More >>
San Lorenzo Ristorante
Carpaccio di bue dressed in lemon and oil, grilled salmon with roasted potatoes, garretto d’agnello — spring lamb braised in red wine, served with grilled eggplant and potato purée. Those are just a few of the dishes that chef/owner Craig D’Alessandro has in regular rotation on his…More >>
Patsy’s Inn
Beyond the homemade pasta and authentic decor, Patsy’s has something special going for it: consistency. For decades, Patsy’s has soldiered on — always dependably good, always serving exactly what you want when you’re craving a big plate of spaghetti dotted with clams and a glass of…More >>
Osteria Marco
Okay, so maybe not the last place you’d expect to find a great Italian restaurant. That would probably be Antarctica, on the moon or in the men’s room of the Greyhound station in Provo, Utah. But still, finding a great Italian restaurant in Larimer Square — once home to the awful…More >>
Houston
Lomonte’s Italian Restaurant & Bar
Perhaps it’s the flour, seasoned with Italian spices and parsley, used as the batter which makes them so incredibly crispy and greaseless; maybe it’s the homemade picante sauce Lomonte’s serves along with a terrific marinara sauce that you dip them in; then again, maybe it’s the tiny pieces of…More >>
Miami
La Marea at The Tides
Bigoli is a pasta from the Veneto region. Shaped like thick spaghetti and coarsely textured, it is made by pushing dough through an instrument called a bigolaro. The Sicilian paccheri looks like a thick snippet of garden hose and in the early 1600s was used to smuggle banned garlic cloves from…More >>
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| La Marea at Tides South Beach in Miami |
New York
Scarpetta
Chef Scott Conant’s new meatpacker Scarpetta, named after the small piece of bread used to scoop sauces, knocked us out, especially the agnolotti dal plin–irregular pasta pouches bulging with a purée of cabbage, truffles, and veal. More >>
Colandrea New Corner
Nothing beats the eggplant rollatini at the obscurely located Italian old-timer Colandrea New Corner, oozy with fresh ricotta in a sprightly tomato sauce. More >>
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