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This under-the-buzz offshoot of a Connecticut favorite comes to the Meatpacking district sans attitude or velvet rope. In tune with local eateries’ mod-industrial design, the restaurant’s large iron doors open onto concrete walls and vaulted ceilings, with a spiral staircase rising from a sleek bar room. It all feels very sophisticated, but the Northern Italian menu oozes exurban prosperity, with lobster, truffle, and caviar garnishing many plates. Still, you’re upmarket in a carnivorous district: Veal—chops, scallopine, and medallions—appears in many forms, even as succulent Chicken alla Romana, adorned with artichokes and red peppers in a garlicky truffle-lime sauce, most impresses. Carpaccio showcases a fine fillet with citrus, sheets of parmesan, and greenmarket-fresh arugula, and pastas like spaghetti con maiale show Valbella at its best. — Kathleen Squires

Large groups can eat amid the action at the chef’s table alongside the kitchen, or dine in the wine storage areas that double as private dining rooms.

Beef carpaccio, $20