Belotti Ristorante e Bottega

Pasta aficionados will find paradiso in this petite and casual restaurant-turned-enoteca, set on a busy but bucolic stretch of Rockridge’s main artery. Boasting an impressive passel of regulars who frequently park at the bar to chat with the owner in Italian between bites, Belotti dabbles in the traditional cuisine of Piemonte.

Envision such hearty dishes as brasato—braised beef with mushrooms served over polenta and finished with a nebbiolo reduction. House-made pastas are also a major attraction here, including the heirloom grain spaghettini in a tomato sauce with creamy burrata. But more unexpected dishes excel as well: try the delicious butter lettuce salad with lemon and pine nuts, or the decadent tortino, a spinach flan with egg yolk and truffle.