Dell'Anima.(Restaurant review)

Early in the evening, the back door of this tiny enoteca is often left ajar, to reveal the red neon sign of the Corner Bistro across the street. Inside, youthful attitude and precocity abound. The executive chef, Gabe Thompson, previously worked at Le Bernardin and Del Posto but has never run a kitchen; the general manager, Joe Campanale, a former sommelier at Babbo, is only twenty-three years old. The patrons--suits and just-back-from-Turks-and-Caicos tans--nestle in sleek banquettes, so high that their feet dangle, or perch at a bar overlooking the chef and his two line cooks, working feverishly in a tiny open kitchen.

The food is both faithfully Italian and surprising. An order of bruschetta might include toppings of chickpeas perfumed with preserved lemon or a "lily" confit of translucent bulbs (shallot, onion, garlic) whose pallor belies its intense flavor. Glossy cuts of pork belly are strewn with persimmons that implode when pricked. In the pastas, ingredients are pleasingly textured, whether in a chunky calamari ragu (spooned over squid-ink fettucine, a cute joke) or a savory mix of sage, Fontina, and shaved Brussels sprouts. Standards like wild boar and seared tuna are given new contexts, the meat atop mascarpone-rich ...