Stop Lining Up At Don Angie & Start Lining Up At San Sabino

Two words: Shrimp Parm.

The restaurant that launched a thousand Instagrams - to be fair, those lasagna pinwheels are a pornographically delicious sight to behold, let alone eat - with a constant line of hopeful diners snaking around the block has just opened up shop next door with a new concept that's already set to be an even bigger hit.

From the team behind Don Angie, Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, comes San Sabino. The husband-and-wife's second partnership with Michael Stillman's Quality Branded, the West Village corner space is a sunny Italian-American spot with an emphasis on unexpected seafood dishes, elevated homemade pastas and more.

East Coast Oysters with Neapolitan pomodorini, oregano oil and fresh horseradish; Crab & Mortadella Dip served with Ritz crackers and sweet cherry pepper jelly; Scallop Crudo in a savory buttermilk with golden kiwi and Piedmontese hazelnuts; Octopus Carpaccio with capocollo, garlic potatoes and grilled sourdough. A mad lib of ingredients that doesn't just work, it delights.

For the table, a three Cheesy Frittelle with orange blossom honey and saffron is a must, a glorified cheese-filled wonton that's pillowy and perfect. The Tricolore Sabino endive salad with Piave Vecchio cheese, green garlic and nori is a serious contender for best salad in the city. Seriously. Via Carota's Insalate Verde should be nervous.

But the dishes you're certain to see plastering your Instagram feed the most? 

Well, that'd have to be a tie between the Stuffed Farfalle with smoked chili crab, yellow chive and the Shrimp Parm, which is... wait for it, three massive, breaded, head-on prawns drenched in a Sweet & Sour Arrabbiata sauce with gobs of Stracchino cheese and Thai basil leaves. 

A word to the wise?

Arrive hungry. Very hungry.

[Photos by Evan Sung, Alice Gao]