Davide Restaurant, Boston

At Davide Restaurant, co-owner and head chef Frank Gesualdi divvies up his attention between a menu of contemporary Italian cuisine and a list of wines that showcases his past as a vino connoisseur. He sculpts fresh seasonal ingredients—including local seafood and pasta crafted in house—into pizzettas and tagliatelle, a tangle of pasta and lobster reminiscent of the Mediterranean Sea's famed linguini patches. Squeezed from Californian fruits and Tuscany's sangiovese grapes, Frank's handpicked wines magnify savory flavors in the ornate eatery, which is tucked away in Boston's Little Italy neighborhood. The aroma of Frank's rich marinara sauce wafts through Davide's brick-lined doorway, which opens into a softly lit dining room where crimson banquet booths dot the space between oak and stonewalls.