Fossetta

At Fossetta, a Lower East Side restaurant that looks like an old auto body shop, with its chipped-paint garage doors, you can get a satisfying bowl of handmade rigatoni with a creamy sauce of chicken liver, onion, and wine. You can also eat spongy focaccia, baked in large pizza ovens, and topped with things like ricotta and hot honey. There might be a table of people who’ve let the lambrusco get the best of them, but for the most part, this Italian/Mediterranean spot is a good option for a casual daytime date, with natural wine, and natural light spilling in from Allen Street. Their focaccia also shows up all over the brunch menu, which is available daily, in filling sandwich form—stuffed with mortadella or roasted pork.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Will Hartman

Ricotta and Hot Honey Focaccia

Bring out your fork and knife for a great brunch item to split with a couple people. You’ll probably have a ricotta mustache by the time you’re done, but it’ll be worth it.

Marinated Octopus

Order this garlicky, acidic octopus conservas with a plain slab of focaccia as an appetizer.

photo credit: Will Hartman

Rigatoni and Chicken Livers

Rich with chicken livers, this pasta seems to draw inspiration from the schmaltzy mousse you might find at a famous old appetizing store around the corner. If you like the texture of chicken liver, get this.

photo credit: Will Hartman

Mortadella Sandwich

A solid sandwich with hand-cut mortadella, though we’d prefer the slices a bit more uniform. This sandwich is slightly messy to eat, but we’re big fans of the Dolomite-sized mountain of dressed arugula on the side.