Esca

Reserve

Esca Review

The name is Italian for "bait," and this restaurant, courtesy of partners Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, and longtime chef David Pasternack, lures diners in with delectable raw preparations called crudo—such as tilefish with orange and Sardinian oil or pink snapper with a sprinkle of crunchy red clay salt—and hooks them with such entrées as whole, salt-crusted branzino, sea bass for two, or bucatini pasta with spicy baby octopus. The menu changes daily. Bastianich is in charge of the wine cellar, and you can expect an adventurous list of Italian bottles.