Since its boisterous arrival onto the New York cuisine scene in 1998 – the James Beard Foundation named it the best new restaurant of the year – the Italian restaurant Babbo has been wowing the crowds. The cozy, two-floor restaurant sits just a stone’s throw from Washington Square Park, and not too far from Little Italy, but the cuisine couldn’t be more different from the touristy trattorias along Mulberry. In chef Mario Batali’s world, simplicity and freshness reign supreme, and each of his zestful creations are based on seasonal produce, much of it from local, organic farms. It’s Batali’s derring-do in the kitchen – pairing unlikely ingredients for a unique flavor, infusing a traditional dish with a new herb you may never have heard of – that makes each dish such a pleasure to eat. Menu highlights include the Mint love letters with spicy lamb sausage, succulent rabbit with red cabbage, and the spicy two-minute calamari.