Le Zie

Le Zie 2000 is a Venetian Trattoria located in the heart of Chelsea. Opened in April 1999 by Veneto native Claudio Bonotto and run under the skillful stewardship of head chef Erling Berner, Le Zie is regularly listed as the New York Press's "favorite affordable Italian in the lower neighborhoods."

Le Zie boasts a traditional Venetian menu featuring seasonal specials, rotated daily, as well as a wine list of over 200 labels from every region of Italy.

Source: Le Zie 2000

"This modest little trattoria offers some terrific Venetian dishes,like an inspired salad that features pliant octopus and soft potatoes acting in precise textural counterpoint. The chef has a sure hand with pastas like rigatoni with rosemary, served al dente in a perfectly proportioned sauce of ground veal, rosemary and maybe a splash oflemon. Risotto with squid is also superbly cooked. Striped bass fillet withfennel and white beans is moist and wonderfully flavorful, while a wholestriped bass, grilled and then filleted at the table, shows that thesimplest preparation - it's sprinkled with olive oil, lemon and herbs - can do wonders in showing off the fish."

Eric Asimov for The New York Times