Profile

In a neighborhood packed with sports bars, an inventive Mediterranean menu and chic garden set this wine-focused Italian place apart. Inside, a cramped bunch of singles cavort on whimsical furnishings; a separate, more polished side room welcomes dinner groups. Small plates meant to balance a quick cocktail can be ordered singly or in three tasting flights that let you choose from welcome standards like roasted peppers and anchovy or in-season pairings like nectarines and trout. Appetizers are more creative—scallops dressed with muscat syrup served with a red-plum-and-arugula salad and lavender honey drizzled onto a plate of prosciutto and figs. The competent dinner menu features (occasionally dubious) homemade pastas and simple mains like duck breast, expertly seared and plated with a fennel -and-plum salad; veal medallions arrive straight from the grill with the traditional lemon butter and capers. Like its namesake scooter, there’s charm and function aplenty here—even if some vroom is absent. — Benjamin Kneen

Seared scallops, $13; duck breast, $23