Nolita House (CLOSED)

Chef Marc Matyas thinks we have a lot to learn about local, seasonal ingredients—so he’s turned his restaurant into a classroom. Nolita House makes playful references to a one-room schoolhouse with green chalkboard walls and pegs for your jackets. The menu won’t seem like all-new material (it includes pizza and burgers), but diners will learn plenty about artisanal cheeses. The cheese boards are tailored to experience level: beginner (mild, creamy cow, sheep and goat cheeses), intermediate (differently textured cow’s-milk cheeses) and adventurous (stinky, earthy and strong). Kinda makes you wish they’d assign some homework.