Matt Carter already had Zinc Bistro and The Mission when he opened Fat Ox in 2017, and it shows: a 7,000-square-foot modern Italian room run with the confidence of a chef who has done this before. The name comes from the Bue Grasso fat-ox festival in Carrù, which tells you the kitchen takes beef as seriously as pasta.
Pasta is rolled in-house daily. The cowboy pasta is the cult order; split it alongside a slow-roasted meat rather than going solo.
When to go: weeknights, or the bar on any night. Weekend prime time from January through April books early, so plan ahead or settle for the counter, which is no hardship.