Fodor's Expert Review Da Toscano

Chef Michael Toscano was a huge hit of a chef when he was the top toque at Perla. He moved to Charleston but now he's back at this eponymous restaurant in the same space where Perla once was. The interior hasn't changed too much; the marble-topped red oak bar is still there and so are the comfy banquettes, but Toscano added paintings by former Perla employee Isaac Mann that are a feast for the eyes. The chef produces flavor-popping Italian dishes such as pappardelle with duck ragu and shaved foie gras and lumache pasta with roasted tomatoes and pistachios that happens to have a buried treasure of stracciatella at the bottom, giving it a supremely delicious, creamy texture.