Mia Dona

That'll get the juices flowing.

After a bread basket heaped with focaccia and garlic, and a bonus appetizer of grilled figs with gorgonzola, wrapped in prosciutto and painted with balsamic vinegar, a lesser Restaurant Week lunch ($24.07 for three courses) would have been a letdown. Yet with one exception — a hazelnut brittle that, to my candy-schooled palate, said "Butterfinger" — the balance of the meal was nothing less than an inspiration, and an invitation to return.

Also shown below: a salad of bibb lettuce, provolone, shaved vegetables, and red wine vinegar; a hefty minestrone with parmesan, ditalini pasta, and olive oil; grilled branzino with artichokes, potatoes, and a very buttery pan jus; a grilled chicken paillard (hiding down below), with spinach, apricots, bacon bits, and balsamic vinegar; a gianduja semifreddo with dark chocolate sauce and hazelnut brittle; and tiramisu with chocolate crumble and an almost acidic, very potent espresso gelato.

Mia Dona
206 East 58th St. (Second-Third Aves.)
212-750-8170
www.MiaDona.com