Lilia
Description
Missy Robbins, one of the City's favorite chefs, maintained a Michelin-star rating during her tenure at both A Voce locations, and is now running the open, wood-fired kitchen at Lilia in Williamsburg. A former auto-body garage, the pale, loftlike space has a beamed ceiling and skylights, the walls outfitted with wine bottles and stacked wood. Robbins' soulful Italian imprint is felt in sheep's-milk-cheese-filled agnolotti with saffron, dried tomato and honey; grilled clams with Calabrian chili and bread crumbs; and black bass with salsa verde and coal-roasted potatoes. Cacio e pepe frittelle are a particularly wondrous way to start, three cheese-crusted, browned orbs with creamy, peppery centers. The restaurant's 70 seats are oftentimes filled by 6:45pm, so plan accordingly. A small café in back serves coffee and pastries during daytime hours and morphs into a bar at night.