Ignacio Mattos and Thomas Carter can do no wrong. After the runaway success of Estela in Nolita they opened the doors to Café Altro Paradiso, which literally is “another kind of paradise”.

Fashioned after modern wine bars in Europe, Café Altro Paradiso offers an airy and light space with dishes to match.

The menu – Italian in temperament, is made up of unfussy plates that highlight fresh ingredients and flavors. Mattos aims to enhance his food minimally and it works beautifully.

Take for example a simple ‘Honeynut Squash Crostini’ so simple put together with each ingredient better than the next. All of these layers combined created perfect bites, which had us ordering another plate well before we were done with this one.

One of my favorite dishes was the ‘Uova fritte con bottarga’ a daintily prepared plate of eggs topped with capers and parsley salad. Everything about this dish was so vibrant yet delicate.

Thomas Carter presents a wonderful wine program to complement the graceful food with many bottles from Italian producers and more. I just loved Café Altro Paradiso and cant wait to go back for more.

Here is some of what we ate:

Honeynut Squash Crostini

Fish Crudo w/ Capers, Berries and Horseradish

Uova Fritte con Bottarga

Ravioli di Ricotta w/ Chanterelles and Black Truffles

Tagliatelle al Pesto Genovese

Milanese di Pollo w/ Arugula