Nick & Toni's

Contributor

Citysearch

The Scene
Nick & Toni's is more than just a restaurant. It is a lifestyle, an attitude, a flickering candle to the East End's celebrity moths. White-on-white dining rooms have a light and sunny feel, set off by colorful contemporary art. The front room's wood-burning oven turns out some seductive food and even better aromas. The bar, as you might expect, is a Pamplona on weekends.

The Food
Even in summer much of the food is hearty and bracing. Typical are the wood-roasted pork chips, tender and juicy, with a semisweet orange-Marsala sauce, and the seared lamb ribs and morels with hash browns. You can start off dishes like a lovely warm dandelion salad with white beans and anchovies, or a pea risotto brightened with lemon. For dessert, try the superb polenta pound cake with thick cannoli cream.