Old-school Italian: Fresh takes on an American ‘soul food’

Parm New York City

“Italian-American cuisine is not beloved by the arbiters of good taste,” said Pete Wells in The New York Times. But while many high-minded restaurants scoff at the hybrid cuisine developed by southern Italy’s impoverished 19th-century expatriates, the co-founders of this humble Little Italy joint are using their fine-dining training to cook excellent versions of hot-plate offerings you might find at your nearest strip-mall pizzeria. In Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone’s kitchen, every dish is “completely faithful to your memories while being much, much better than you remembered.” Baked clams are “briny and just-cooked beneath crumbs of sesame breadsticks.” The meatball hero features a “summery” tomato sauce and a flattened meatball, made of veal, beef, and sausage, that’s been braised to tender, pink perfection. Parm serves every dish in red plastic baskets, and the space’s throwback look is more charming by day than by night. But at all hours, this is a place that should rekindle your appreciation for a cuisine that has become “a kind of soul food” for millions of Americans, “even those with no Italian ancestors.” 248 Mulberry St., (212) 993-7189

Maximiliano Los Angeles

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Restaurateur Andre Guerrero is becoming a master of comfort dining, said S. Irene Virbila in the Los Angeles Times. With this newish corner spot in Highland Park, he has created a future neighborhood fixture by keeping late hours and pairing a friendly, playfully contemporary space with what he calls his tribute to “kinda old-school” Italian-American cooking. Start by ordering a crisp, medium-thin pizza for the table (my favorite is topped with eggplant, roasted peppers, burrata, and a smear of dark olive tapenade). After a “peppery wild baby arugula salad drenched in lemon,” you’ll be prepared for Maximiliano’s pan-roasted chicken Marsala or its fine pork chop—cooked sous-vide and accompanied by Tuscan kale, sweet potatoes, and a fig-sweetened red wine jus. No pretension here, just a place that’s “hit the sweet spot” in combining good service, modest prices, and the kind of food people enjoy. 5930 York Blvd., (323) 739-6125

Luce Portland, Ore.

With its “bare-bones” decor and prices that read like misprints, Luce keeps your mind on one thing: the excellent food on the plate in front of you, said David Sarasohn in The Oregonian. Shelves stacked with boxes and jars line the inside walls—“to assure you that the restaurant won’t run out of anything,” apparently. But one forkful of spaghetti with garlic, hot peppers, and clams, and “the last thing you’ll be thinking about is the missing art on the wall.” The menu focuses on small plates and big flavors. Among starters, consider the walnut-stuffed roasted onions—“mouthfuls of lush sweetness set off by dry crunch.” Luce’s al dente spaghetti stands up nicely to a sauce that features “a trio of assertive flavors,” while the entrée menu includes “simple but highly successful” dishes, such as a perfect baked stuffed trout or a hanger steak “gently nudged” toward memorable by garlic and rosemary. Step inside anytime and you’ll enjoy “a deep sense of dining in the kitchen of your Italian grandmother.” 2138-2140 E. Burnside St., (503) 236-7195