Cesare al Pellegrino

Sometimes it’s an outsider who infuses local cuisine with fresh energy. The brilliant chef Leonardo Vignoli, born near Rome, worked for years at Michelin-starred places in France, finally returning to open his Cesare al Casaletto back in 2009 and creating a cult hit by updating beloved Roman classics with sharp technique and ingredients from tiny local producers.

That original location in the residential Monteverde district still draws crowds for its bucatini with opulent oxtail ragù, Rome’s definitive tripe stew, and ethereal fritters. A couple of years ago Vignoli and his wife Maria Pia Cicconi also took over an iconic centro storico space that once belonged to Settimio, a 1932 stalwart where Anthony Bourdain dined in Parts Unknown.

Keeping its original tiled floors and mid-century black wooden tables, the space has been updated with flattering lighting and a large mirror with the phrase “Can words dance?” In place of the old owners’ locked-doors policy and their gruff way of turning away supplicants without reservations, there’s a user-friendly online booking system (and lo and behold you can usually score a table!).

More concise than at the Casaletto original (no fritters, alas) the menu features some Settimio hits (those crusty-edged meatballs!), seasonal specials starring wild mushrooms or artichokes, and Vignoli’s own classics. The latter include his pillowy gnocchi sauced with a deep-flavored tomato sugo leftover from cooking oxtail ragù or braised involtini (beef rolls). Among the more unusual primi are spaghetti with sweetbreads and leeks, and such old Roman classics as minestra d’arzila, a soupy first course of skate, romanesco broccoli, and broken spaghetti.

To follow: Try bollito alla picchiapo. Meaning “a little beat up,” it’s a brilliant example of the cucina povera trick of recycling meat from boiled dinner by shredding it up and finishing it in a soulful tomato sauce. The crostata of creamy ricotta and visciole (sour cherries) deserves your attention. Ditto the exciting, mostly natural wine list.