Mia Dona

Description:

• Another venture by the team of chef Michael Psilakis and partner Donatella Arpaia (Anthos and Kefi) is a celebration of mostly rustic Italian dishes with a few nods to Greece. The combination is a natural and best of all, easy on the wallet. The appetizer of grilled calamari and caponata salad (a combination of sweet [from currants] and sour from the pickled eggplant) works terrifically, the calamari grilled to perfection; the crispy rabbit with salt and fingerling chips is a starter you likely won't find anywhere else. Another original is the gnudi, gnocchilike pasta served with sheep's milk ricotta in a truffle butter sauce; it's the standout in a selection of very good pastas. Of the entrees, the olive oil-poached cod with broccoli rabe in a sun-dried tomato pesto tasted as good as its description, while the hearty braised veal breast with escarole and cannellini beans is Italian comfort food at its best. The rather high noise-level is the only negative.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2009
•  Highly Recommended 2010