Gourmet & Healthy in Fairview

Bruno Cavalli left Italy in 1888 with big dreams of providing for his family. He could only initially find work busing and waiting tables, but he made an important discovery. Customers from the old country were craving fresh ravioli but couldn't find it in New York, so fresh ravioli is what he gave them—even though at first he had to pack his handmade pasta in shoeboxes and deliver it by bicycle. By 1905 he opened his first shop, which he fittingly called Bruno's Ravioli. His wife worked at the counter, and his sons slept in the back, within earshot of the youngest raviolis' nighttime cries for marinara sauce.

Four generations later, the King of Ravioli's legacy lives on through his family's gourmet market, which has expanded to include Italian delicacies and sandwiches. Shoppers there can still snap up traditional ravioli made with Bruno's old recipes, as well as newfangled varieties with fillings such as tofu or shiitake mushrooms.

Natural Frontier Market's shelves teem with certified-organic produce and a slew of natural foods, bath and body products, and dietary supplements. Scoops of bulk grains such as organic mung beans, quinoa, and flaxseed await trips to the scale, and pints of organic yogurt huddle beside dairy-free ice cream and Amy's frozen entrees in coolers. Flavored protein powder and locally sourced helium pump up muscles to massive sizes, health-boosting vitamins fill dietary gaps, and natural toiletries beautify bods without harsh chemicals. Juice and salad bars sate appetites on the go, and Natural Frontier's free delivery service ushers orders safely to doorsteps and Rocky Mountain summits.

Owner Andi Newville works alongside her daughters at Viva Oliva, stocking the shelves with more than 20 flavors of gourmet olive oils and 20 varieties of balsamic vinegar imported from Italy, Greece, Spain, and France. Olive oils add zest to entrees, infusing them with garlic, blood orange, and spinach, while balsamic vinegars flavored with black currants provide rich flavor. Customers can sample gourmet liquids before buying full bottles and preview suggested recipes such as barbecue rib glazes with honey ginger white balsamic and toasted sesame oil. Newville also stocks bath and body products containing skin-soothing olive oil and gourmet groceries such as balsamic pesto, pinot pomegranate jelly, and black truffle sea salt fresh from Mediterranean oceans of black truffles.

With one look at Oro di Oliva's selection of oils and vinegars, it's evident that they know that good food comes from high-quality ingredients. All of Oro di Oliva's oils and vinegars, which hail from across the globe, are bottled upon order to preserve their flavors. Their extensive selection comprises 11 types of extra virgin olive oils from locales including Chile and Sicily. For an added taste bud kick, they press some of the oils with ingredients such as whole fruit, garlic, persian lime, jalapeno, and basil for flavored variants. Their 16 balsamic vinegars are made from grapes and blended with black cherries, pomegranate, and Vermont maple. White balsamic vinegars bear flavors including honey ginger, white peach, and alfoos mango souls. In addition to oil and vinegar sampler packs, the shop stocks goods including cork spouts and black truffled sea salt to complement bottles.

Guests could dine at Park Avenue Bar & Grill multiple times, and yet leave each visit feeling as though they'd never been there before. Behind the restaurant's historic façade of red brick and arched windows await six distinct areas, each welcoming diners into a different experience. Downstairs, bartenders mix drinks at a traditional wooden bar, and upstairs, a modern lounge fills glasses amid tomato-red walls and zebra-patterned tile. After they dine on white tablecloths in the refined second-floor dining room, patrons can wander out to the private courtyard for drinks, or head up to the rooftop to watch New York's mayor give the skyline its nightly spit shine.

To match the atmosphere of each space, chef Todd Villani prepares fusion cuisine that combines Latin and New American traditions. Meticulously prepared entrees cater to guests seeking evenings of fine dining, and lighter fare, such as tapas and empanadas, facilitates socializing.

The glowing embers in a rustic brick hearth reach temperature heights of 700 degrees Fahrenheit as they bake pizzas. Once they’ve been adequately roasted, pizzas emerge from brick ovens bubbling and topped with now crisp leaves of basil, soft tomato slices, arugula, and tender chicken. Chefs prepare 15 specialty varietals of pizza using traditional maple- and oak-fired methods that date back to the time when the Ancient Romans invented fire and imparts a toasty crispness to each disc. Pasta noodles mingle with creamy pesto sauce or skirt steak, while slices of foccocia bread ensnare morsels of roasted eggplant, meatballs, or lightly breaded chicken.

Diners can customize pies with à la carte ingredients such as sausage, fresh pineapple, and arugula or opt for the prearranged flavors, which include a ricotta-bedecked bianca pizza and an entree-combining chicken-parmigiana pizza. Four fountain drinks keep bellies happily hydrated, although a diplomatic BYOB policy allows guests to supplement dinners with fermented beverages. Diners can nosh in an all-season garden room, where a vaulted-glass ceiling maintains a pleasant climate through summer, winter, and impending ice ages.