Restaurant Details

For a neighborhood Italian joint, Buona Terra does a decent job. There’s fresh escarole sauteed with garlic that’s cooked to just the right level of crispness, while carpaccio topped with shaved Parmesan, porcini mushrooms, and capers is similarly refreshing and satisfying in its simplicity. Anyone who has ever actually been to Italy, however, will probably be disappointed in the pastas. The tomato sauce in the linguini al pescatore was bland where I craved some heat, and aside from some fantastically fresh and tender scallops the rest of the "pescatore" portion of the dish—fish, octopus, mussels, and shrimp—all tasted suspiciously similar. But the pastry in a freshly made cannoli was authentic and the cheese filling as tooth-achingly sweet as any this side of Sicily, and if there’s another Italian restaurant at this price point with as wide a list of after-dinner amari and other digestivi, I haven’t been there yet.

— Heather Kenny

Features: Outdoor Seating, Full Liquor Service, Carryout, Private Rooms, Dinner, Open Late, Open Sunday, Open Monday, Reservations Accepted

Price: $$$

Payment Type: American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa