Ellie's

Ellie’s is pretty special. Located in a quiet neighborhood not too far from downtown, with a big front patio and a small dining room, they serve some very tasty Southern Italian food. The seasonal vegetables dishes and handmade pastas are fantastic—especially the shrimp and ’nduja tagliatelle—but the best thing here might be the grilled bread and pork butter. Pork butter is as good as it sounds, but it’s even better when it comes on a board of grilled bread alongside caviar butter, apple mostardo, and optional grilled bone marrow (might as well go all in). This place is a great choice for an intimate dinner, but be warned: parking in the area is near-impossible at night.

photo credit: Jakob Layman