New York - June 12, 2009

Nocturnal Behavior

Civetta Restaurant Opens

It’s not hard to focus your eyes on Civetta — with her vaulted ceilings and wide-open windows — this bird’s quite the looker.

The Mediterranean eatery (it’s “owl” in Italian) opens early next week. Scope things out from the marble bar area, separated from the rustic dining room by a row of church pews and canopy of dark carved wood. (There’s a fresh Venetian parlor thing going on, and we like it.)

Chef Ron Suhanosky (of much-talked-about Sfoglia) can be peeped from the 60-foot-long open kitchen, cooking up orders of saffron arancini with spring peas, spaghetti with guanciale and morels, and chicken al mattone — the house favorite.

The lounge downstairs has red banquettes and huge brick columns flecked with light from the wine jug fixtures. It’ll be a nice new spot for catching up with pals and sharing antipasti (grilled asparagus with sea urchin, deep-fried scamorza).

And there’s plenty of wingspan for a private party.

Civetta, 98 Kenmare Street, between Cleveland Place and Mulberry Street (212-274-9898 or civettarestaurant.com).