Tucci

21st-century Italian restaurants that are designed to look old can be plain old cheesy. But Tucci in Noho, from the owners of the steakhouse Delmonico’s, is full of charm. Their downstairs dining room has the quintessential brick walls, formal service, and unfussy staples like lasagna and fried calamari. Even if Tucci's pastas should be better than they are, 1800s-era stone arches add enough romance to make you forget about bland casarecce alla boscaiola. Go for the chophouse-adjacent dishes that share DNA with Delmonico’s menu, like veal chop marsala or tender pork chops you can gnaw on until you reach the bone. And try and get a seat downstairs—the upstairs bar area is perfectly pleasant, but a little too shiny and polished for date night featuring shrimp scampi.

photo credit: Tucci