136 Division Street (between Ludlow and Orchard Sts.) 212-941-5060 www.bacaronyc.com
Italian. You may have to work a little to find it, but it is totally worth the effort. There are a few tables at street level, with most of the seating found below ground. After descending the candlelit stairs, you enter the cellar. Dark, cozy, and brick lined, its hidden cave ambiance cannot be ignored.
Happily, the food is as enticing as the space. Both the crab salad over polenta and chicken Milanesewith fresh seasonal salad are transportive. The gelato arrives in three unembarrassed scoops (their hazelnut, espresso, and olive oil each rich and delicious). Pistachio, milk chocolate.
Break out the GPS; it would be a shame to miss this spot.
Risi e bisi (Fried rice balls) mozzarella cheese?
Sauteed filet of sole with arugula.
