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Below street level on a quiet block in Turtle Bay, DeGrezia doesn't seem like much from the outside. Once you make your way in through the narrow vestibule, however, things begin to look up. With walls covered with wood paneling, a softly glowing parquet floor, massive flower arrangements, and chairs upholstered in pale pink fabric, this could be the formal dining room of a slightly futsy private club. The food matches the serene surroundings: DeGrezia takes its culinary cues from Italy's historically prosperous north, above Tuscany, where butter and not olive oil is the main cooking fat. This means that much of the restaurant's meat-heavy menu is finished with silky, slightly acidic sauces of wine and butter. The best, most carefully executed dishes on the menu are zuppa di vongole, steamed clams in a tomato and butter sauce, and the daily pasta specials. DeGrezia's formal elegance and skillfully prepared food don't come cheap, but judging by the number of serious business meetings and restrained celebrations that take place here, it's a price many consider well worth paying. — John D. Rambow

Zuppa di vongole, $17.95