A few months ago I wrote in this column that Il Gattopardo, across from the Museum of Modern Art, was currently the finest Italian restaurant in New York. Now, I want to fudge on that claim, not because it has been superseded by another restaurant but because it has its equal at The Leopard at Des Artistes near Lincoln Center.

My sophisticated readers will catch on fast that Il Gattorpardo means “leopard” in Italian, so it is no stretch to realize that both restaurants are intimately related by the ownership of Gian-Franco and Paula Sorrentino and have been for some time.