Bar Del Monte

The slogan of this Mount Pleasant Italian restaurant is “mediocritas exquisita”—exquisite mediocrity. Indeed, the small plates might read basic, but all are impeccably prepared. Oliver Pastan—who has worked in his father’s restaurant 2 Amys as well as acclaimed kitchens in New York and Rome—understands that less is more when you’ve got the best ingredients. Our perfect meal: crisp greens with anchovy dressing, grilled lamb skewers with chili oil, any of the bubble-crusted pizzas, and quirky specials like monkfish-liver terrine.