Esca

Part of the Mario Batali–Joe Bastianich empire, the menu at this slick trattoria takes a whirl through Southern Italy's seaside cooking (spaghetti with lobster). Start with the signature raw antipasti, called crudo, then move on to excellent, shareable pastas such as superfresh grilled fish, lavish Amalfi-style seafood stew, Sicilian-style striped bass, or succulent square-cut maccheroni alla chitarra from Abruzzo with sea urchin and crab.