Best Italian Deli

Molinari reminds you in a purely visceral manner how richly the Italian experience is imbued with good eating. When you walk in, the wonderful smells of sausage and garlic and cheese inspire wholesale noshing, sipping, and cooking. The place is jammed, floor to rafters, with all the ingredients for a memorable feast. Sharp, crumbly Reggiano and pungent Gorgonzola. Blood-red prosciutto and fennel-sweet finocchiona. Imported gnocchi, pearly arborio, and pasta in every conceivable configuration. An endless supply of wines, from pinot grigio to Chianti. Freshly made pesto, thick, green olive oils, 30-year-old balsamic vinegars, biscotti and anchovies and porcini mushrooms and on and on and on. Satisfy your passione immediately with a little takeout -- perhaps the Luciano Special, which includes sweet coppa, Parma prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, and sun-dried tomatoes on focaccia. Molto bene. Or get yourself the house lasagna, ziti, or cannelloni for some at-home satisfaction.