Grotta Azzurra

Dating back nearly a century, Grotta Azzurra was shuttered in the mid-’90s. It was only a matter of time until a new owner came along to resurrect the joint where Frank and Dino used to eat. The result is mixed: The dining room boasts an elegant black-and-white tiled floor and an antique mahogany bar, but the huge obelisks decorated with Roman gods are just plain cheesy. Linguine with clams is on the mildly ambitious menu; there’s also a refreshing take on bucatini all’amatriciana, pasta with sweet onion, fresh peas and cured pork jowl. You can picture Frank himself digging into the house specialty of lobster Fra Diavalo, but the question lingers: Can this legendary spot live up to its history?