Soft opening.
Of course the gelato is superb — the man behind the curtain, Gino Cammarata, is such a wizard with the stuff that he made a dining destination out of a tanning salon. Now he's moved on from that Bensonhurst location to Bay Ridge, where he's opened a "small plates restaurant" and vino bar (BYO till the license comes through). Have a look at the soft-opening menu, which, on a sunny weekend afternoon, didn't tempt me quite as much as samples of chocolate, pistachio, and licorice gelato and my eventual traveling companion, hazelnut ($3).
Piattini Ristorante
9824 Fourth Ave. (at 99th St.), Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
718-759-0009
