Restaurant Details

With its wide-ranging seasonal plates inspired by influences from Asia, Mexico, and Europe, this upscale yearling in the Italian Market defies easy categorization. That can make it a hard sell in a crowded restaurant scene — or a top restaurant listing — where a well-defined genre can be an advantage. But Dave Conn is simply one of the city’s most underrated chefs and the fact that this longtime Garces lieutenant is cooking what he loves with the best ingredients he can find — with a live fire hearth lending a persistent shade of smoke — is reason enough to settle into this airy corner restaurant for a special meal. There are Barnegat oysters with cucumber aguache; carpaccio of Iberico pork; potato chips cradling toro tartare and caviar dusted in fenne pollen; a gorgeously grilled prime ribeye for sharing; and one of my favorite burgers in town. Conn also churns some impressive ice creams to finish, including an absinthe-infused scoop topped with chantilly cream that’s like a cocktail and dessert all in one dreamy coupe.