Profile

Pitti opened in 1992 nearly two decades after Silvano Marchetto combined the trattoria formula with a see-and-be-seen sidewalk setting at adjacent Da Silvano. Marchetto had initially conceived of a more casual Pitti as part of an expansion, but a family tragedy inspired him to enlist a partner, Giovanni Tognozzi. Arguments over meatball-recipe theft and lawsuits soon followed, but the feud seems to have mellowed since then. What's left is a sienna-painted bare-bones space packed with wooden tables—greatly improved by a mirrored wall and exceptional outdoor seating. A blackboard of twenty or so static specials extend the basic Tuscan menu: assembled antipasti like oil-packed tuna jumbled with cannellini beans, quick-fry pasta, the storied veal meatballs, etc. The chic reputation carried over from Da Silvano still fills the spot with Mikli-framed gallery types peeking at each other, but it's the fast-moving Italian guy in faded pajama pants who gives this place its mystique. — Alexandra Vallis

Bar Pitti only accepts reservation for parties of four or more.

Polpettine di vitello, $9.50; melanzana parmigiana, $9.50