Restaurant Guide 2007

By BECKY OHLSEN

Guidelines for a nice dinner at Il Piatto: Order something that contains bacon, and go with someone you don't mind talking to at length. It may take a while for your meal to arrive, so get a bottle of wine and an appetizer—go for the sweet-salty prosciutto-wrapped melon, not the squishy portobello with polenta. Don't neglect the excellent bread and marinara sauce. Skip the salad; if you require vegetables, try the lasagna with eggplant, zucchini, yams and ricotta. Do you really need vegetables, though? The best pasta dishes here are the bacon-and-cream ones: There's a stellar version of that old standby, spaghetti carbonara, with inch-square chunks of bacon, and the almost-too-rich (is it possible?) carciofi e prosciutto , with artichoke, red pepper, garlic and prosciutto in a cream sauce over penne. (BO)

Signature dish: Bacon. It's what's

for dinner.

Standouts: The adjoining Jade Lounge has a funky Asian vibe and very interesting cocktails.

Regrets: Servers are charming but absent-minded, and can move at a

glacial pace.

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