Just as chef and owner Andrew Carmellini intended, San Morello in the Shinola Hotel is a neighborhood Italian restaurant. Only the neighborhood is the buzzy, busy, scooter-infested community that is downtown Detroit.  While it's on the ground floor of the Shinola, San Morello has an identity beyond "hotel restaurant."

With an entrance right on Woodward through a popular sidewalk patio where diners can sip a crushed-ice cocktail the colors of the Italian flag and watch peddle pubs cruise past, it's easy to forget that the luxury brand has anything to do with this sophisticated pizza and pasta restaurant.