Pescatore

pescatore means fisherman in italian, and this restaurant in the turtle bay area of manhattan's east side is a seafood delight. it has gotten some great zagat ratings, the food is delish, the portions are large and the price won't bust your wallet, so what more could you ask for? alfresco dining you say? in the summer they offer sidewalk seating and on a terazzo which overlooks the street. a very unique feature of the restaurant is that it has two entrances leading to two separate dining rooms and bars all connected by a kitchen. there is one side which is original and predates the other, and many customers who have been patrons for years don't even realize there is another section. John and i were recently there for dinner and were treated to a great evening by Charles the general manager, gracious and friendly, like all the staff we met. we shared the mussells in white wine and garlic with scallions and the crab cakes with fresh dill and cream sauce for appetizers. john had one of the daily specials, the tilapia nicoise with artichokes and sun dried tomatoes and i had the grilled monkfish with a caramel soy sauce over basil mashed potatoes. i love monkfish and grilling is a great way to enjoy this meaty white flesh fish. the restaurant has a reputation for its cheesecake which we did try and it was amazing. the combination of mascarpone cheese with ricotta and cream cheese makes it feel so silky its like eating cream cheese flavored cotton candy. everything was great. i'm linking the restaurant website over there on the side for you to check out; but just go. it's comfortable, reasonably priced, and delish.