Owner/chef Enzo Livia has updated his regional Italian menu and added more of his native Sicilian cuisine. The result, once word gets out, is likely to be even longer waits for a table on weekends thanks to the no-reservations policy. Dishes to look for include the bresaola con la rughetta, air-dried cured beef with arugula, Parmesan shavings, and lemon dressing; sweet-and-sour Sicilian eggplant that's mellow and assertive at the same time; and spinach salad with walnuts, crispy pancetta, and Gorgonzola.
Pastas have always been good at Il Pizzico. Many are house-made, all are served al dente. Ravioli filled with mushrooms and ricotta and finished with pistachio cream sauce is elegance itself. Also delicious: maltagliati, wide swaths of pasta, with veal meat sauce; bucatini, thick, hollow spaghetti, with a creamy tomato sauce; and rigatoni with fennel and garlic bread crumbs.
Carb watchers won't feel a bit deprived with a plate of pesce spada a ghiotta, swordfish with caramelized onions, green Sicilian olives, and capers from Pantelleria, a island off the west coast of Sicily. Meat lovers can go for veal with pine nuts, raisins, and rosemary, rack of lamb with garlic and Chianti wine sauce, or chicken with balsamic vinegar and sage. The Italian wines that dominate the wine list go well with this fare.
