Becco

Joe Bastianich, a well known restauranteur and sometime partner with Mario Batali, started his New York career with this restaurant. He wanted to create an homage to the red sauce joints of his childhood while honoring the Italian food that made his mother Lidia famous and he succeeded admirably. Becco serves all you can eat pasta, giant caesar salads and interesting specials like the seared tuna shown above and it's mobbed every night with the theatre going crowd as well as midtown regulars. The tables are packed close together so there's no such thing as a private conversation or a quiet meal but that's just the Manhattan dining experience. Becco makes up for the crowded confines with stellar Italian wines and fantastic pasta.