A Perfect Circolo
Bond Street’s Newest Italian Gem

If you like boisterous Italian folks with charming Italian accents urging you to eat, congratulations—you’re alive.

And you should probably know about this...

Belt out a hearty “mangia” for Circolo, an airy NoHo villa of fresh Italian goodness that feels like spring and tastes like Tuscany. She’s open right now.

You’re looking at a sort of farmhouse meets mid-century Rome meets your next date vibe here. You’ll consume pasta that’s so fresh, you might not even recognize it as pasta. Then you’ll be like, “Oh, right. I ordered pasta. This is great.” And your date’ll say, “Huh?” Then you’ll eat a deep-fried Tuscan meatball. Good times.

The place is simplicity incarnate. Untreated wooden two-tops, an open kitchen and not a bad seat in the house, so grab one anywhere. Actually, stop by the copper-topped bar and shake Salvatore’s hand first. Guy’s got a hell of a grip. And he makes a hell of a Sisco Sour. That’s vodka, lemon, cucumber, sugar and sunshine. Have that, then sit.

Then on to bigger, more seared-tuna-and-caponata-like things. Or try the paccheri. It’s filled with goat cheese and has a bed of eggplant. (It’s also a large cylinder, in case you don’t have your pasta conversion chart handy.)

Now, there’s one last thing. And do not ignore this. You cannot skip dessert. The raspberry tart is death-row-last-meal worthy.

Here’s hoping it doesn’t come to that.