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When a well-traveled men’s-underwear designer and a recently retired ballet dancer turn their attention to what’s lacking on the local fast-food landscape, you shouldn’t expect ordinary results. And with Daniele’s Piadina—an impossibly sleek little nook on a gritty stretch of the Flatiron district—you don’t get them. The brainchild of Gregory Sovell (the underwear guy) and his partner Daniel Prates (the ballet dancer), both of whom fell for the classic Romagnan flatbread sandwiches while traveling in Italy, Daniele’s takes up where the panini craze left off. The signature piadina (prosciutto, arugula, and creamy, slightly tangy stracchino cheese) is like a deliciously trim and sophisticated European cousin of the American wrap, served on crisp and tender flatbread that’s griddled to order. One makes a fine light lunch; heartier appetites can pair it with a cup of pappa pomodoro, a sprightly potage of tomato and bread that Sovell calls “our version of fries.” — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Daniele's Piadina, $6.75; pappa pomodoro, $3.25