PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

The kind of food that is served at A Voce; rustic Italian for the most part with exceptional nods to innovation, seems almost out of place in the loud, postmodern dining room in a sleek high rise just off Madison Square Park. Spring 2009 saw the appointment of a new executive chef, Missy Robbins. Formerly executive Chef at Spiaggia in Chicago, Robbins also spent time in the kitchens of such New York restaurants as March, Arcadia and The Lobster Club as well as in Northern Italy where she mastered the art of Italian cuisine at the Michelin-rated Agli Amici in Friuli. At A Voce you can start with something peasant-pleasing, such as Ricotta di Bufula (buffalo ricotta) with extra virgin olive oil, mint, thyme and chilies, or you can sample the Sarde, roasted Mediterranean sardines, with lemon, marjoram and ceci beans. The Primi courses include a hearty papardelle with rabbit, taggiasca olives, rosemary, and Parmigiano Reggiano, or from the sea, Garganelli Neri: braised cuttlefish, garlic, with dried Calabrian chilies and thyme. The Secondi menu is strong on fish, featuring Coda di Rospo, roasted monkfish, purple artichokes, baby fennel, and sweet green olives. For dessert, consider a cheese plate of 3 or 5 different Italian cheeses, or for something sweet, try the Bomboloni alla Toscana, Tuscan doughnuts with chocolate sauce. Keep an eye out for the weekly regional Italian prix fixe lunch menus, at $29 for 3 courses. Each week, Robbins creates a lunch menu featuring dishes inspired by a different region of Italy.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's New York City 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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