Borgo is the city’s best new Italian restaurant in ages

I can’t wait to go back to Borgo (124 E. 27th Street). Not even after your first meal at the best new Italian restaurant for adults in many Neapolitan, Abruzzo or Roman moons.

Its accessible, regionally roaming menu scored highly in all but one of the fourteen dishes I had in each category. It offers an experientially rich and meticulously crafted kaleidoscope of well-known Italian delights created anew.

Owner Andrew Tarlow was a driving force behind Brooklyn’s culinary revolution, from Diner under the Williamsburg Bridge approach to Romana in Fort Greene. I miss his long-gone Reynard at the Wythe Hotel, too.

But the 140-seat Borgo, his first foray into Manhattan and his first new location anywhere in ten years, is more grown-up, both in culinary consistency and comfort level—though it’s nearly as loud. despite white tablecloths and reasonably -distanced tables.

Tarlow boldly chose the site of the much-loved I Trulli, which drew crowds for nearly thirty years before falling into pandemonium in 2022.

Although he replaced the bones of I Trulli with new, well-crafted materials, it looks very much like its predecessor, right down to the wood-fired oven, which just got a fresh coat of paint.

The layout is familiar: two large dining rooms with vaulted ceilings, the original I Trulli bar at the front and a colorfully lit back garden. My favorite places to sit are the booths facing the open kitchen and the living hearth in the side room, where the noise is comparatively softer.

Chef Jordan Frosolone, a veteran of the Momofuku empire and Marco Canora’s Hearth, evokes the rustic spirit of I Trulli and greatly enhances it. The house focaccia is a crunchy, tomato-free spin on the Ligurian original with Robiola and Fontina cheeses sandwiched between thin sheets of dough. Enjoy in moderation or you’ll be too full to continue.

Anchovies from Italy and Spain, boneless and served with spicy pink Neonata butter, are worth a visit alone. Rounds of delicate candy-like squash are crisped fresh, sprinkled with Pecorino cheese, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with chile.

Among the pastas ($29 to $34), the most exciting is the timballo di Anelletti, a drum-shaped, pie-like affair filled with braised beef cheek and ricotta salata.

Depending on which story you believe, its origins are either in Abruzzo or Palermo, Sicily. Frosolone’s version is said to be inspired by a dish cooked by Stanley Tucci in “The Big Night.” But it’s so good, I couldn’t care less if it came from Mars.

Juicy chicken is baked in a wood-fired oven; it is a rare specimen where the white flesh came out as moist and juicy as the darkness.

But my choice no. 1 is a centimeter-plus thick house-made pork sausage, seasoned with dill and chilli, served with Umbrian lentils. It looks thick enough to be used as a weapon, but under the hood, it’s almost as light on the tongue as French boudin blanc – a wonderful fusion of flavor and texture. At $29, it’s also the cheapest main course, with braised veal thigh and whole branzino (both $64) being the most expensive.

For dessert, don’t miss the Pistachio Affogato. If you’re worried about coffee keeping you up at night, the Pecorino Fiorello—a soft sheep’s cheese served with sunflower honey—will put you to sleep like a baby and keep you wanting to come back for more.