We’ve got a ton of New York City food recommendations that we’ve been storing up through the winter, and now we’re putting them all out there!  Last week we showed you two good casual spots in New York where you can grab a quick bite, but today we want to showcase some places where you can sit and have a good meal.  The two spots are connected by their cuisine:  both serve up Italian fare in different iterations, and through they’re in two separate boroughs, they’re both worth a visit to check out – so read on to see some new restaurant recommendations.

First up is Ci Siamo, a new place that opened up late last year near Hudson Yards.  We were really impressed by the interesting-looked appetizers they had on offer, so we got two:  here’s the caramelized onion torta, topped with pecorino cheese and a balsamic drizzle.

And as another round-shaped starter, we also had the focaccia.

For entrees, Miriam had some tagliatelle, made with a tomato and butter sauce.

While Cyril got the potato topini, in a sauce of mint, almonds, and pecorino cheese (sadly, this wasn’t vegetarian because it’s made with chicken broth).

And we also split a side of charred red peppers with capers and feta.

But if you’re looking for some Italian food that’s a little bit different, you can swing over to Brooklyn and check out Macchina in Williamsburg.  Macchina has been around for a few years now but was previously located in Midtown Manhattan – now you’re going to have to travel a little farther for their signature Neapolitan-style pizzas.  We decided to do a little sampling and split two pies:  one spinach kale pesto, topped with ricotta, mozzarella, and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes …

… and one margherita pizza with a ball of burrata melting right in the middle.

And we also shared an order of crispy artichoke hearts.

It was fun getting to check out both of these restaurants – one where we could get some excellent pastas and appetizers, and one where we got inventive pizzas.  There’s thousands places in New York where you can get Italian food, but we like to scope out the ones that rise to the top of the heap and serve up some really good and interesting cuisine.  These are two spots that we think fit the bill, so enjoy!