Le Zie:

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7104744/new_york_ny/le_zie.html

Stopped into this Italian place right near my apartment. The layout was rather interesting as the entrance on 7th ave led to a very crowded room, filled with children and gaudy decorations. We still decided to stay and after being seated i went looking for the restroom. Through a long hallway i saw what seemed to be a much quieter, cooler area, but turned out to be the "lounge" area of the same establishment.

I wasnt terribly hungry so just ordered a mussels appetizer in a standard white wine, garlic sauce. The mussels were decent and the accompanying bread was extremely fresh, yet crispy on the crust (perfect for dipping). The sauce was fairly average but nonetheless enjoyable. What has me wanting to remember this place though was what the girlfriend ordered. She had monkfish wrapped in pancetta and the dish was both visually and tastually stunning. As a fan of a more meaty fish, the pieces were just solid enough without being too chewy and the taste of the pancetta covering the fish added an amazing texture and taste addition.

As this is only a few blocks from my place i definitely will be returning to hopefully try out a more complete meal.