Anella

• Cuisine(s): Bistro, Italian, New American
  Hours: Sun,Sat 10am-4pm, Sun,Tue,Wed,Thu 5:30pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 5:30pm-11pm
  Price: $$$
  Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards
• Attire: casual
  Features: Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Takeout
  Serving: Brunch, Dinner
  Alcohol: Full bar
• Reservations: Not Accepted
  Parking: No Parking

Description

Anella started out shaky a couple of years ago, with mediocre pizzas and a mixed-bag quasi-Italian menu. Since then, under new chef Joseph Ogrodnek, the place has completely turned around. Pizzas have been deep-sixed, but many of the original dishes remain, spectacularly reconfigured. There's an asparagus appetizer arranged like a miniature village, with the stalks arranged like Legos, a fiddlehead-radish salad on the side, and a runny egg on top, and one of the city's most perfect plates of fried calamari. One evening, a crudo of mackerel squirted with pesto and decorated with basil flowers blew our minds. The backyard garden is one of the city's most pleasant secluded spaces.