The Red Hen

This decade-old Bloomingdale Italian spot exudes warmth and congeniality, nailing that mix of precision and laid-backness you hope for from a neighborhood restaurant. The rigatoni with sausage is famous for good reason, but sleeper hits abound, from the roasted-eggplant crostini with Jimmy Nardello peppers to the seasonal cinnamon-crunch gelato. This is the kind of restaurant you want to stick around forever.