Profile

Midtown teems with restaurants that prey on diners seeking convenience, be it a place to eat that's close to work or near touristy Rockefeller Plaza. The signs of such a culinary trap: high prices, and characterless but attractive decor. One look at Etrusca and you know you're in trouble. The dining room looks uncannily like a hotel lobby (it's part of the Hilton), with gaudy light fixtures, a two-toned wood floor, and low-slung chairs. Pasta prices hit $25, and the cost of other dishes soars even higher. The antipasto plate—a collection of, among other things, wan roasted peppers and a hunk of too-truffled cheese—is a total bomb. But the deconstructed tiramisu is faultless: cake and creamy mascarpone separated by crunchy sheets of chocolate and sauced with pungent cappuccino syrup. — JJ Goode

A $43 three-course pre-fixe dinner is available from 5:30 p.m.—6:30 p.m.