Navigating Little Italy

Aldo's

Don't be fooled by the very plain exterior, the inside of Aldo's is appointed like a rich Italian villa. Service at Aldo's is good and the food is excellent. We recommend trying a cheese plate, since Aldo's has its own underground cheese cave. (That's like the Bat Cave of Italian dining.) We like the idea of pasta sampling plates ($15 per person for two pastas, $23 per person for three pastas), but Aldo's is a fancy restaurant that knows how to do fancy food well, so why not indulge in something with truffle oil or other posh ingredients? Chef Aldo can be relied on not to screw it up. Our only complaint: We don't mind paying good money for good food, but we like to drink, too, and with a pricey wine list like this we just can't afford that second bottle.

Expensive: $19 or more for a plate of pasta