Dunne and Crescenzi

In 1999, Eileen Dunne and Stefano Crescenzi opened D&C on South Frederick Street. Their mantra of culinary authenticity was at odds with what Dubliners then understood about Italian food, which was no more than clichéd red sauce cooking, with a flaming sambuca at the end of dinner to make that hangover certain. The Crescenzis changed all that, quietly, politically, subversively. They gave us the Italian arts: the art of cooking; the art of the table; the art of the dining room. And they offered it seductively, rather than didactically, which means that walking into their dining rooms is like meeting up with an old friend who greets you with a hug. The D&C rooms are amongst the finest dining rooms you can experience, elegant, timeless, temples of great cooking and super wines, and simply adorable.

Also at: 11 Seafort Avenue, Sandymount, Dublin 4 Tel: 353 1 667 3252

See also L'Officina at Dunne & Crescenzi and Dunne and Crescenzi Casa