Casasalvo, a new fine dining restaurant from acclaimed Sicilian chef Salvo Lo Castro, is now open in SoHo with ...

I prefer the lightness of Italian cheesecake to New York cheesecake. The triple chocolate cake ($15) was a thing of beauty. A dark beast of a slice of luscious chocolate was devoured.

The house-made pastas use imported finely ground "00" flour and fresh eggs. Many of the pastas can be ordered by half or full plate, so we took the opportunity to try a few.

“Italian food is comfort food,” Calcagno said. “It’s like a big plate of pasta with your family. It’s not about fine dining, you know? That’s French, that’s a different thing.

From his new restaurant opening in Naples, Alain Ducasse tells Observer all about expanding his culinary empire to Italy, why fine dining is here to stay and his last great meal. By Emily Zemler ...