THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Fortunato

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Fortunato Restaurant Review:

Jennifer Newbury, who made a name for herself with Chez Jenny and Sole Mio (both closed), is back with this stylish 2002 entry on one of the city's trendiest restaurant strips. The décor of the bustling (read: noisy) room is industrial chic meets rustic retreat, with everything from metallic surfaces and silverleaf wall coverings to cork floors, textured oak and weathered brick walls. But the centerpiece is the glassed-in exhibition kitchen, where you can watch a crackerjack crew turn out an ever-changing lineup of creative dishes well-grounded in tradition, often incorporating uncommon greens and other locally grown organic vegetables. Delicious antipasti range from a triangle of polenta set off by marsala-macerated prunes, braised duck and a dash of buckwheat honey to succulent wood-grilled baby octopus with a salad of fresh peas, limas and other beans. Braised oxtail ravioli with root vegetables is the pasta everyone's buzzing about. Monkfish picatta and oven-roasted pork loin are typical secondi. Homemade spumoni and ricotta fritters are dessert possibilities. Boutique bottlings and unusual varietals distunguish the all-Italian wine list. Service tends to be as good as the food.