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I Fratellini
I Fratellini is the original of restaurateur Zoë Robinson and chef Ny Vongsaly's three Wydown Boulevard collaborations, though this is no longer the best way to think of it. It is their Italian restaurant, though this is also a less helpful descriptor than you might think. If their newest venture, Billie-Jean, is their forward-looking restaurant of the moment and Bar Les Frères the romantic Parisian dream, I Fratellini is the racy indulgence: the pasta a little more buttery than you know is good for you; the grilled duck breast in a sauce of both cherries and red wine; the tomato broth for steamed mussels, with the spice of 'nduja and the licorice sweetness of fennel pollen, you can't help but sop up with bread.
Hours: Dinner Monday-Saturday (closed Sunday)
Last year's ranking: Rest of the Best
Opened: 2001