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Any resourceful New York restaurateur can offer his nature-loving customers an outdoor-dining option, no matter how cramped the space or how lacking anything remotely classifiable as nature: Simply evict any sidewalk loiterers, plop down a wobbly table or two, open a Cinzano umbrella, and break out the sangria. Luckily, the suave Italian restaurant Moda at the Flatotel had a lot more to work with. The restaurant's new 50-seat outdoor annex stretches across the entire breezeway space from 52nd to 53rd Street. Planters holding mini herb gardens of basil, thyme, and tarragon set the mood for the seasonal, southern-Italian menu, which includes nibbles like asparagus with crab and Parmigiano-Reggiano, pizzette, panini, and big plates like grilled whole red mullet with salsa verde. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld