La Scarola

Soup or salad? The eternal quandary. But at La Scarola it’s one easily resolved with an order of escarole soup, a tasty broth glistening with golden globules of garlic and tender, slightly bitter leaves. Or you might try the hearty pasta e fagioli, beans and macaroni in a basil-flecked broth that gains heft and complexity from some good Italian cheese.
There's a full bar, and the wine list has many bottles in the $30 range, though there surprisingly few choices by the glass. This is a fun restaurant: the bustling front end looks a lot like a storefront clam joint in New York’s Little Italy, and they pack ’em in most nights of the week.