Specus

A small grotto cut into tufa rock anchors the courtyard, with a handful of tables tucked inside, which tells you immediately that this isn't a place for a quick lunch. The young couple running it, Flavia and Alessio, have shaped a regional Italian restaurant around dishes with names like "The Journey I'll Never Forget," poetic in a way that somehow doesn't embarrass itself. The cooking follows suit, rooted in the landscape but with enough imagination to keep it interesting.

One honor, in evidence: