Carbone

Thompson Street isn’t Little Italy proper but it boasts some of the city’s best old-school Italian restaurants, including coal fired pizza at Arturo’s and hand-made pastas from Lupa (an original Batali/Bastianich venture). The brainchild of Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi (of ZZ's Clam Bar and Parm), Carbone is old-school Italian-American at its grandest, and most expensive. Located in the old Rocco space (with the original sign to boot) and serving throwback specialties like Baked Clams, Lobster Fra Diavolo, and Veal Marsala, the restaurant is traditional in its Italian-American pomp and circumstance, complete with white tablecloths and copious amounts of red sauce.