Buona Sera Ristorante & Bar   

Buono Sera is not your typical mozzarella-and-marinara Italian restaurant, and we would expect nothing less from stylish Red Bank. It's beautiful inside, with two open floors of elegant stone, carved wood, fresh flowers and gilt frames. The place has a grown-up feel, and it hits just the right balance for the artsy neighborhood: not too trendy but not too stuffy. Their fresh Houdini sauces are mysterious but magical, and the chicken-and-shrimp Houdini dazzles with anchovies, fresh basil, white wine and demiglaze over penne. For those with heartier appetites, the steak Assiagi is a pretty huge and heady presentation: A 20-ounce rib eye is stuffed with mozzarella, shiitake mushrooms and fresh crab, baked first, and then finished in a saute pan with a special cognac sauce. Despite the interesting and often delicate combinations, the portions at Buono Sera are large. The food, ambience and busy bar and lounge area make this place understandably popular, so expect the occasional complaint about the noise and lack of elbow room.