Neighborhood Eats: Maggiano's Little Italy

With dark wood, vintage black-and-white photos, Sinatra on the speakers, and Southern Italian cooking, Maggiano’s aims for that Little Italy feel. And when you’re sitting amid the large family groups and clusters of friends who frequent the place, it’s easy to feel a whole lotta love.

What to get: Plates such as whole roast chicken marinated in rosemary and garlic, Italian pot roast over noodles, and crisp Vesuvio potatoes hold the most appeal. Pasta tends to be overcooked, and the red sauces don’t have the sweet tanginess you’d expect in a place that wants it to seem as though Mama cooked it all.