The provocative story of how spaghetti alla puttanesca—a classic of Roman cookery made with tomato, onions, capers and anchovies—got its name as a quick dish made by Roman harlots (puttante) between turning tricks, seems wholly fanciful, not least because it isn’t all that quick to make. But if you seek one of the most authentic and intense versions of it in New York, head for the charming new trattoria in Chelsea that shares its name.

Owners Bob and Enrico Malta and chef David DiSalvo had a restaurant of the same name in Hell’s Kitchen, now closed, and re-opened this spring in a sunny yellow room with white wainscoting and high ceilings (which can cause a high noise level) and an array of seductive photos of beautiful Italian women consuming pasta.