THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Pescheria

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Pescheria Restaurant Review:

This spirited Italian seafood restaurant gleams like one of owner and executive chef Joseph Manzare's puckish smiles. A bevy of servers deftly maneuvers the compact, 45-seat dining room colored in light aquarium blues and subtle tile detailing; the space is modernized but kept casual with brushed metal and banquette seating, zebra-striped wood tables and a bar built for nine. Out back, a romantic, heated brick patio provides a handful of choice tables. The one-page menu satisfies with a rotating selection of Italian specialties culled from Manzare's travels. Standout secondis tend to beat out first-course, house-made pasta preparations: a fragrant, creamy and too-large helping of tight trofie pasta mixed with pesto, cut beans, potatoes and shrimp leaves little room to explore the rest of the menu. Opt for the aromatic butterfish with leeks, gambone mushrooms and porcini butter, wrapped in cartoccio (paper) and slit tableside. Or the lovely heap of Arctic char layered with flavors of garlic, basil, earthy mustard greens and celery root purée, peaked with a poached egg. Complimenti. Oysters, lobster soup or octopus salad provide lighter fare, and non-peschetarians can usually find one seafood-free entrée. User-friendly, predominantly Italian wine and cocktail lists add to the good time. Room for dessert? Try the fresh, finger-size cannoli.