Due Restaurant

1396 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10075, 212-772-3331, www.duenyc.com

This lovely northern Italian does everything right. A nice room, excellent service (even when they’re busy), a good wine selection by the glass (including an excellent shiraz) and an extensive menu with lots of specials. All the expected Italian favorites can be found alongside some more interesting fare. Both the beef carpaccio salad with plenty of shaved parmeseano reggiano and the eggplant croquette salad with a generous amount of fresh goat cheese were great starts to the meal. The veal piccata, veal Milanese and the verdi gnocchi with asparagus were all perfectly made.

Eggplant Croquette Salad

We did find their version of a molten chocolate cake to be slightly too fudgy. But, although we wouldn’t normally dream of passing up a chocolate dessert, the fresh berries in zabaglione served in a crispy shell were absolutely sublime.

The restaurant is busy so consider dining early. And keep in mind that they don’t accept credit cards. But otherwise, relax over a glass of wine, dig into some great Italian food and enjoy!