Pisticci

The warm sun-splashed décor at this living room of an eatery is the perfect backdrop for wonderfully prepared, unpretentious Italian food. Goat-cheese stuffed figs with mango, greens and a honey-mustard dressing set the pace for equally delicious grilled eggplant with ricotta and mozzarella or hearty house meatballs served over impossibly light polenta cakes. Service that is friendly and easy makes you feel like you’ve popped in at a friend’s house in Basilicata, but as you sit along this quiet uptown sidewalk, dining on a bowl of berries and cream and listening to the gentle rumble of the 1 train, you’ll thank the culinary deities you’re in New York.