Ciao Zorzi!

Milan Fash Week has begun but Chicaholic is serving up local alternatives for those who won’t be sidling up to the Principe’s bar this season. And if you want good eats and drinks inspired by northern Italy, try Zorzi at 1 East 35th Street just off Fifth Avenue. The owners Franco and Alberto Zorzi have kept their familial tradition alive and tasty–the Zorzi’s are rumored to have invented fusilli pasta after a machine malfunction way back in the day. Surrounded by Murano glass and clips from classic Italian films on various flat screens, you’ll spend hours pouring over delicious plates like the creamy lobster risotto with porcini mushrooms and prosecco. And fusilli dishes aside, Chicaholic strongly recommends the lasagna with sea ragu and Treviso chicory. Plus, if you want to imbibe outside the box, mixologist Cristiano Taluzzi has concocted a special cocktail menu featuring homemade infusions and purees, fresh herbs, and exotic fruit. Give the Basilico a taste with its mixture of vodka, limoncello, lemon juice, simple syrup, and basil leaves or opt for what the restaurant says is “the most fashionable Italian ‘happy hour’ aperitiv” called the Aperol Spritz: Aperol liqueur, prosecco, club soda, and a green olive.