Via Carota

The Line on Grove Street

3.5 of 5

Jody Williams and Rita Sodi built Via Carota on Grove Street with reclaimed wood floors and fine china. Rustic and polished at the same time, the way a good grandmother's table is when company comes. Anyone who has lived on this island has stood outside it at some point, because the place does not take bookings through OpenTable and the wait is the price of admission. Call the restaurant directly, or plan to loiter.

The menu runs through vegetables, meat, fish and pasta, and the trick is to eat across all four. The gnocchi are the order that people mention first, and they deserve it. Fried rabbit with rosemary and garlic is crisp, herbal and a little reckless. Grilled sardines come over escarole, a plain plate that tastes like somebody respected the fish. There is a full bar, which is where you drink while the host decides your fate.

Go off peak. A Tuesday at an awkward hour beats a Saturday at eight by every measure except the people watching, and the cooking is the same either way. Bring patience and a friend who will split things. The room is loud and close, the kind of place where you lean in to hear and end up sharing a fork. That, in the end, is the point of Italian cooking, and Via Carota never forgets it.

Order this: Gnocchi, Fried rabbit with rosemary and garlic, Grilled sardines with escarole, A cocktail at the bar while you wait
The damage: $$$
Go: A weekday late afternoon, before the rush, or a late seat once the room thins
Find it: 51 Grove St, New York, NY 10014