Via Matta (CLOSED)

The Crazy Way, as the name translates, takes an admirably streamlined approach to contemporary Italian cuisine. The strikingly bare setting reflects this ethos, from the dining room - as stark white and echoey as an art gallery - to the dark, generally quiet wine bar. Meanwhile, stripped-down, spot-on specialties such as crunchy eggplant and spaghetti aglio e olio con pomodoro convey an easy breeziness, borne by waiters whose smoothness and efficiency is a hallmark of every Michael Schlow venture.