Outdoor dining on a budget in NYC

Terrazza Toscana

The outdoor scoop: Theater-district dining just got a little more elevated, thanks to the arrival of this elegant Tuscan newcomer. While the flashy dining room is classier than the touristy area’s norm, even more impressive is the singe-story building’s 70-person rooftop terrace. Before the Broadway production’s curtain drops, you can stock up on sunshine, tender gnocchi and several glasses of wine from the eatery’s 1,500-bottle cellar.

Alfresco steal: After settling into your rooftop perch, order the restaurant’s leafy namesake, the $9.95 insalata Terrazza. A bed of mesclun lettuce is loaded with snappy red apples, bufalla ricotta cheese, toasted pine nuts and white balsamic dressing, which ties the salad together with a pleasing tang.

Terrazza Toscana
742 Ninth Ave. at 50th St.
212-315-9191

Terrazza's patio opens the first week of June