Fodor's Expert Review Bottega

At his softly lit, exposed-redbrick downtown trattoria, which occupies sections of the 19th-century former Groezinger Winery, chef Michael Chiarello (Food Network, etc.) and his team transform local, seasonally changing ingredients into regional Italian cuisine. Staples like ricotta gnocchi with tomato sauce and smoked/braised short rib in espresso agrodolce (sweet-and-sour sauce) served with creamy ancient-grain polenta show the chef at his most rustic yet sophisticated.