Navigating Little Italy

Ciao Bella

Ciao Bella's decor is typical of Little Italy. Classy linen-dressed tables, brick and stucco walls, Italian-themed oil paintings and the ubiquitous acoustic tile ceilings. Service here is kind and swift. Ciao Bella has no separate lunch menu (this goes for a lot of Little Italy restaurants) which means it's hard to find a small or inexpensive meal at noon. Even at dinner we just don't understand why it costs $18 to put penne in a vodka cream sauce. Chef Tony Gambino makes sure the pastas are excellent, though. Ciao Bella also gets bonus points for putting Parmesan cheese on the table where we can get to it ourselves. The free bread was awesome: Crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside and came with olive oil already seasoned with Parmesan, red pepper and herbs. The wine list is brief but very reasonable for an otherwise pricey restaurant, with no bottle priced at more than $70.

Expensive: $19 or more for a plate of pasta