Rear Restaurant

One entire wall opens onto the kitchen, so you can watch the team work while you decide whether you want a taco, a bowl of raw seafood, or something just pulled off the grill. This contemporary Italian restaurant near Nola keeps an unusually wide menu, swinging from street food and Spanish ham to creative meat and fish dishes, with a Champagne list that takes the subject seriously. Come summer, the whole thing moves outside for a looser, more informal format.

One honor, in evidence: