Fradei

Down a few steps off South Portland Avenue, Fradei is a tiny subterranean room that somehow feels full of light. Its name is Venetian dialect for "brothers"; Clément Besset opened it in late 2018 with a French-leaning, seasonal menu and a list of low-intervention European wines from producers the team counts as friends.

The menu shifts every few weeks. Crab toast, stinging nettle and ricotta dumplings and a much-loved steak tartare are the kind of things to expect. The tables fill with dates and pairs of friends; the bar seats are held for walk-ins, which makes it a quietly good place to eat alone.