An Italian trattoria designed for the 21st century, A Mano serves daring and refreshingly bold dishes in a modern, jazzy atmosphere, just steps from the House of Blues. Here expect home-made pasta, Roman-style wood-fired pizzas and audacious antipasti like pesce crudo, or "raw fish" in Italian.

On evenings, well-heeled professionals and hipsters crowd its bar and dining area, featuring a lounge setting with industrial finishes such as exposed brick walls, wrought-iron ceilings and cement floors. An open kitchen and custom-bottled sparkling water add to the atmosphere's stylized, contemporary feel. "We're not transporting people to an Italian villa. This is where Italians would eat in Italy," says restaurant partner James Terlizzi (who is also a partner in the adjacent Bin 36). A Mano boasts raw decor and fresh, edgy plates to create an "authentic, urban-Italian eating experience," says Terlizzi.

This spot serves paninis for lunch (along with a daily $14 lunch buffet) and makes home-made gelato, possibly the creamiest in town. Its rotating ice cream menu includes far-out flavors like olive oil, pumpkin and orange prosecco, along with the classics, yummy pistachio and stracciatella (vanilla with chocolate chips). Look for a line-up of artisanal sliced, cured meats like Tuscan-style salami ($4). Other seasonal best-bets include pumpkin ravioli ($17) and pappardelle in wild-boar ragu ($16). For dessert, sample three of its 12 flavors for $7, or have your gelato affogatto al caffe (literally "drowned" in espresso) for $5. For the thirsty crowd, A Mano offers more than 100 Italian wines and spirits priced from $6-15 per glass.

A Mano debuted its outdoor patio, with seats for 50 people, in spring 2008.

Centerstage Reviewer: Jina Hassan