What with the meatball heroes, eggplant parmigiana, chicken francese, and coppa-provolone-and-hot-cherry-pepper panini, you might think of this bustling three-month-old social center as a friendly East Harlem Parm. But there’s more going on in the kitchen than that. Namely, there are two types of pizza (a New York style available by the slice, and another, more Neapolitanish version), plus homemade pastas and entrées like braised short ribs with basil-whipped potatoes. Partner Antonio Galano (of Woodside’s recently closed Sapori d’Ischia) points out that the area was once known as Italian Harlem, and presumably the thinking is, If it worked then, why not now? In that spirit, he’s designed the sunny space with a retro flair “down to the restroom with a chain handle and elevated tank,” he notes. No Godfather gun strapped to the back of this apparatus, though.
Lexington Pizza Parlour, 1590 Lexington Ave., at 101st St.; 212-722-7850
*This article originally appeared in the October 14, 2013 issue of New York Magazine.
