Maggiano's Little Italy   

This is the kind of Italian food we ate growing up: spaghetti, rigatoni, manicotti, mostaccioli, fettuccini, lasagna and ravioli, with a good red, mushroom or clam sauce and no pretensions. You can order a la carte, but if you're with a group of four or more hungry people, order family style. Choose two appetizers (we recommend the stuffed mushrooms and steamed mussels), two salads, two pastas (the veal and mushroom cannelloni and the pesto chicken linguini are the best), two main courses (the chicken Parmesan and the veal scallopine shine), two vegetables and two desserts (a dense New York-style cheesecake and the apple crostata are favorites). Everyone leaves with a large doggy bag filled with enough food for the entire weekend. The wine list, while not extensive, complements the food. The decor -- red-checkered table cloths, lots of dark wood and sepia-toned family pictures on the walls -- looks like New York's Little Italy in the early 1950s. Dino and Frank quietly croon in the background. Service is quick if you're in a hurry or slow if you want to linger.