101 new NYC restaurants

Corsino

In a biz built on hype, Jason and Joe Denton win our award for the year's most understated and classiest opening. The brothers behind the burgeoning 'inoteca empire have quietly taken over the old Frederick's Downtown space on Hudson Street and turned it into this "humble Italian-inspired snack bar," Jason tells us. Crostini take center stage here, clocking in at $2.50 a pop. Nope, not a typo: that's $2.50 per! They include taleggio with sautéed mushrooms, butternut squash with roasted garlic, and goat cheese with braised radicchio. Pastas (tagliatelle with braised-lamb ragu) and larger plates (beer-braised pork osso bucco) are also on the menu. And since this is part of the 'inoteca brood, the wine program gets ample attention: It's 300-bottles deep, all-Italian and split up into Northern, Central and Southern wines, available by the carafino ($9–$20). Wood paneling gives the place a warm vibe, but the Dentons like to keep things quirky: They've spray-painted table numbers on the actual tables. Just in case you get lost.

Corsino
637 Hudson St. at Horatio St.
212-242-3093