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The rippling ceiling inside this mod Southern Italian spot conjures the adjacent harbor while sea-green accents mimic Lady Liberty posing proudly in the distance. The menu, with its long list of pastas, salads, meats and fish, looks to please the huddled masses. The food is much better than you’d expect at a place so strategically located for tourists. Cold yellow tomato soup dotted with crunchy pignoli nuts and mellow ricotta cheese takes on an herbaceous edge from a pesto garnish; paper-thin, prime-quality prosciutto comes with a homemade mozzarella that has a firm, creamy artisanal texture; and homemade ravioli decorated with chunks of zucchini, tomatoes, and mozzarella benefits from a light, simple treatment of olive oil as its sauce. A hunk of pork osso buco stands out most, however, not only for its hulking size but for its moist meat that collapses in shreds off the bone onto a firm pile of risotto, rustically rendered with carrots, celery, and green beans. On a nice day, the outdoor patio wins the most praise; from there, sightseers and stocktraders alike can tip their hats to the people who brought such wonderful flavors to these parts in the first place. — Kathleen Squires

Peperina, $12