JKitchen

Guests and plugged-in outsiders lucky enough to score a reservation have access to talented chef Flavio Astarita who prepares a different menu every night depending on what’s fresh and in season. Instead of the ever-buzzing town, the backdrop here is a candlelit wooden deck with views across the Marina Grande and toward the mainland—surely one of the most romantic dinner settings on the island. The food is simply prepared and delicious (think grilled scampi, fried calamari with lemon, homemade fusilli tossed with zucchini flowers and tender swordfish cooked with cherry tomatoes). A strong espresso concludes the meal, which is the kind of flavorful, uncomplicated affair synonymous with an enviable, breezy southern Italian lifestyle.