Some of these old hungry-man recipes work better than others. The four-cheese pizza I sampled had one too many cheeses (possibly it was the Gorgonzola), the rabbit ragù was oversalted, and the house lasagne seemed tepid, like it hadn’t been properly warmed through. The entrées, though, are big, generous, and generally well cooked. There are rows of grilled shrimp served over little wheels of fried zucchini, and pieces of organic salmon crisp-seared around the edges and sunk in a buttery celery-root purée. Pork, that great Tuscan specialty, comes in different, generally satisfying shapes and sizes (as an excellent chop, with green beans, or roasted, off the shoulder), and the veal Milanese is thick, well breaded, and served bone-in, on a butcher block. The desserts, if you have room for them, are similarly hefty and traditionalist. I liked the chocolate cake, which is riddled with crushed almonds, and the panna cotta, served with a pool of orange jam on top. The best of the bunch, predictably, is the tiramisu, which is creamy, boozy, and big as a brick.

Centovini
Address: 25 W. Houston St., nr. Greene St.; 212-219-2113
Hours: Monday through Saturday, noon to midnight; Sunday, till 11 p.m.
Prices: Appetizers, $8 to $15; entrées, $18 to $28.
Ideal Meal: Arugula salad with apples, Italian sausage, mushroom pasta, veal cheeks, chocolate pudding.
Note: The restaurant serves a variety of fine panini for lunch and is open for weekend brunch.
Scratchpad: Admirable Italian cooking, raised a notch thanks to the profusion of wines.


Bread Tribeca
Address: 301 Church St., at Walker St.; 212-334-0200
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m; Friday, 11:30 to midnight; Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to midnight; Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Prices: Appetizers, $6 to $14; entrées, $12 to $27.
Ideal Meal: Octopus, linguine alle vongole, salmon or roasted pork, tiramisu.
Note: Italian-oriented films play on the bar TV, which means you can eat your pasta to the reflected glow of Roman Holiday.
Scratchpad: Because of Jenkins, this is a better-than-average neighborhood joint. Despite her best efforts, it’s still a neighborhood joint.

Related:

• Archive: “Restaurant Review”
• Articles by Adam Platt
• Table of Contents: Oct 23, 2006 issue of New York | Subscribe!