Moriano Art Resto, Pizza, Cafe

Moriano,  a little art cafe joint on a semi-desolate stretch of NE 2nd Avenue barely south of the Design District, serves what co-owner Jorge Di Cataldo describes as "Italo Argentinian" food. They opened "like 5 months ago," and their most popular sandwiches are The Moriano (meat, caremalized onions, sauteed bacon, tomato, mozzarella) and the Chicken Panini, pictured above (chicken, sauteed mushrooms, brie cheese, dried tomatoes).

The cafe is decorated with the work of two artists: Hugo Urlacher, whose work is pictured above, and Daniel Moriano, for whom the restaurant is named.

Co-Owner Vanesa Suhr, who also works as a cocinera, says their food is good because so much of it is made from scratch - the gnocchi, canneloni, pizza, empanadas, and cakes.

They have a big screen projector behind the front counter that was playing a soccer match when I went there. It's a good place to eat a sandwich.