I am not a huge fan of the East Village, but there are many desirable restaurants located in the neighborhood.

I took the 1 train on a humid rainy Tuesday, changing trains at 14th Street and traversing the very long, hotter than hell tunnel to the L train.

I disembarked and walked the 6 blocks in the pouring rain to SONO

Upon entering it appeared dark and a bit too East Village for this uptown girl’s aesthetic with checkered floors, natural woods, and bamboo.

Thankfully, I did not hold on tight to first impressions.

It grew on me especially dining at the chef’s counter, featuring an open kitchen.

We established a rapport with the charming chef/owner, Sechul Yang, an alumnus of acclaimed kitchens like Gramercy Tavern, Oiji Mi, and Maialino. Most recently, of the now-closed modern Korean restaurant Ddobar, where he was the chef de cuisine and a partner and, coincidentally, a restaurant I truly enjoyed.

SONO is named after the Italian word for I Am, reflecting Yang’s personal heritage and culinary evolution.

We leaned on his and the counter consigliere’s opinions and selected the 4 course SONO’s Table $160 meal for two.

SONO promotes a shared plate experience.

After conversing with the well informed, gracious staff, we commenced the food frenzy with surprisingly creative and delicious black sesame Caesar Salad ($18).

We then treated to the charred Octopus with kimchi slaw which was delectably tender and garnished with guanciale ($28).

The anointed star dish is the SONO Spaghetti which was superb, featuring handmade chitarra or spaghetti noodles tossed in a vibrant saffron butter and yellow Korean zucchini puree. The creamy pasta is elegantly made with Myeongran, a wildly popular Korean fusion dish made with salted pollock roe, nori, and shaved bottarga. The pasta was rich and flavorful ($27).

The next course was a tender and flaky butter poached Skate with Korean pesto ($35).

The Potatoes were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside adorned with a lovely aioli and brown butter soy ($11).

The chilled Charred Yu Choy with kimchi dressing was unique ($11).

Dessert was homemade Earl Grey ice cream that was amazing along with the lighter than air Tiramisu.

The 49-seat SONO is worth a visit for the affable service and distinct, unrivaled dishes seamlessly blending classic Italian techniques with traditional Korean food.

SONO 176 First Avenue New York City. Open Tuesday-Thursday| 5:30-9pm, Friday and Saturday 5:30-10pm. Reservations via Opentable.com.