In his profile of Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone, Frank Bruni’s thesis isn’t merely that Torrisi Italian Specialties is good; it’s that the restaurant (and its owners) could change the face of Italian cooking in America, thanks to their fusion (his word!) cooking. In any event, he also raises some interesting points about where Italian food is headed. Could the recent explosion of Italian restaurants in America mean that country’s culinary heritage is becoming as influential as that of France? Maybe! [NYT]