Call us bandwagon jumpers-on if you want to, but we'll just come out and say it: Torrisi Italian Specialties NYC is serving some of the best classically prepared Italian food in the city right now. The cozy, casual deli-by-day/fixed-menu-restaurant-by-night spot opened its doors about six months ago on the northern edge of Little Italy, a stretch of downtown Manhattan we've long ago ceded to the tourists. Torrisi NYC is charmingly designed to look like nothing special, in a nostalgic sort of way–old fashioned deli counter, front window and walls lined with Italian canned goods and such–but the resumes of chefs Richard Torrisi and Mario Carbone suggest otherwise, both having done stints at the likes Cafe Boulud, A Voce, and Del Posto. 

Every starter was a winner at Torrisi NYC, but we were particularly wowed by the chewy, heavenly Warm Mozz, infused with milk thistle cream and sitting in a puddle of nutty DaVero olive oil. So good is this bowl of cheese, in fact, that it's currently in contention for best dish of the year. Also outstanding was the two-bite slice of Frank's Salami Bread, topped with baccala (salt cod), and cured lemon, all the flavors and textures working beautifully together. The small bowl of Escarole with fava beans and Jody's pecorino was also pretty perfect. A dish of Corned Tongue, with cucumber and pickled garlic, and a serving of Migliorelli Rabe alla Panama, the bitter greens punched up by salty scallops rounded out the antipasti feasting. 

After a delightfully sour sampling of Rhubarb Sorbet at Torrisi NYC, served classic Italian-ice-style in one of those flimsy paper cups, our server delivered a plate a five sweet treats, ranging from a bit of Mast Brothers chocolate to a moist and spongy Rainbow Cookie (with fennel, maybe?) to a hunk of old-school Cracker Jack peanut brittle. Downed with a cup of dark, black coffee, it was a terrific way to end a terrific meal.