Cellini•New York, NY

Italian•$31 to $50

Cellini’s culinary style of chic simplicity produces a menu of astounding freshness and creativity. We began with a masterful rendition of cornmeal polenta wedges with masses of slivered shitake mushrooms and a calamari salad garnished with beans and scallions, each set off with a hot, homemade foccacia, augmented with sliced crusty Tuscan bread. We next chose panzotti-supple half moon pasta filled with fresh, crisp vegetables lightly bathed in a delicate porcini mushroom sauce. A unique tubular pasta stuffed with the freshest fish and spinach under a seasoned fish stock was enough to show us that each dish here has its own personality, and is densely concentrated with flavor.