The Upper West Side missed Marea — that’s the only conclusion I can draw from the number of passersby who stopped to ogle through the window when the restaurant reopened in the fall. Inside, despite a monthslong renovation, it feels as though it never left. The dining room has been brightened, but only just, and the front bar still packs in business-suited singles who chat over bone-marrow fusilli. There are new menu items — Marea’s concession to our current caviar craziness is a toasty little brioche canapé doused in roe, butter, and a dangerous amount of garlic — but management knows better than to jettison any of the classics. The same is true at I Sodi, the perennially unavailable Tuscan favorite from Rita Sodi that moved to A.O.C.’s former digs in the summer. Over the years, Sodi’s empire has grown — with her partner, Jody Williams, she runs Via Carota, Bar Pisellino, and nearby Commerce Inn — but I Sodi remains the jewel in her crown, its layered lasagna and pappardelle al limone still justly celebrated. Some purists may romanticize the tight quarters of the old single room, but that’s mostly for clout (I speak as one of them). — M.S.
