Tratroria Paolina Review

September 12, 2002 On Sept. 11 '01, I ate a quiet meal with good friends in the back garden at Gnocco, an East Village Italian restaurant on 10th Street that always manages to taste a little better than the unambitious menu suggests. Arriving back in NYC this past Sunday from a summer away, I had a similar culinary experience at Trattoria Paolina, a new Ave. B Tuscan restaurant from the folks behind the West Village's Piadina. Paolina's dull menu produced delicious food that suited the beautiful corner space they've carved out. Walking home, I mentally recorded a quick update on the Lower Ave. B dining scene: Casimir is still hopping; Belmondo is absolutely comatose; and Pierrot appears to have added live jazz on Sunday nights. Also blissfully noted was new techno-salon TKNY, which earned its own article in today's Times.