Those who don’t like Sant Ambroeus will dismiss it as Euro-trashy. Yes, there’s a lot of sunglass-clad people out front wearing flashy watches, but there’s a reason for that. In a city where you’re used to hearing a lot of “we need the full party here to seat you at this time,” Sant Ambroeus is always welcoming—a slow-paced European haven in an otherwise fast-paced city. The managers remember people’s names, and, unlike at many other Italian restaurants in New York, the pasta here is made with semolina grain and there’s no use of butter or cream, just olive oil. We recommend the rigatoni strofinati, the veal milanese, and the vitello tonnato. The cocktail list is plentiful, the martini perfect, and there are great Sicilian wines on the menu. The terrace, on Lafayette Street, is probably the best place to sit in the sun in all of downtown New York. —Elena Clavarino

Elena Clavarino is the Senior Editor at AIR MAIL