NYC Italian Eats: The Old Guard

Rao's

No, we've never been, nor do we know anyone who has. So even though you will probably never get a chance to sample the classic, southern Italian fare at this 110-year-old bastion of old-time, big-deal New York, Rao's is a necessary inclusion on this list. In its modest East Harlem digs, Rao's is as exclusive as it gets: Tables are "owned" and reservations are essentially impossible. If you're stuck on actually sampling the food (and you're not friends with, ahem, the right people), it might be simpler to go to Las Vegas, where a second outpost opened in Caesars Palace.

Rao's
455 E 114th St at Pleasant Ave.
212-722-6709