Portale

One walk down a charming, interior walkway to access Chef Alfred Portale's chic Chelsea dining room, set in a former 19th-century carriage house. The brick facade remains, while inside, the space has white-painted exposed brick walls and wood plank flooring.
The well-curated Italian menu is done up in a contemporary manner and evokes the Mediterranean. Primi are a highlight, as in the agnolotti, featuring fresh pasta pockets filled with creamy ricotta and sauced with a zesty lamb ragu. A fillet of seared Ora King salmon is attractively plated with pesto-sauced cracked wheat and an array of garnishes that remind of ratatouille—diced, roasted eggplant and zucchini, a roasted red pepper vinaigrette, and a creamy-textured black olive vinaigrette.