Lina Linguini's Pasta & Grille

Lina Insalata is the plate to open with at Lina Linguini's Pasta & Grille — the house salad, on the menu since the doors opened on Fourth Avenue in 1993. The recipe has not moved much in three decades: crisp greens, chick peas, hot cherry peppers, croutons and parmesan in a vinaigrette the kitchen mixes the same way it always has. Guests buy the dressing by the bottle at the counter and take it home with them. It is the dish the menu builds out from, and the dish most first visits start with.

The pasta list is the centre of the meal, and the kitchen builds it generous rather than delicate. Chicken & Prosciutto Penne reads as the long-running house favourite — chicken and prosciutto folded into mushrooms, garlic, cream and tomato sauce over penne — alongside Tortellini ai Funghi, Spicy Rigatoni, Lasagna Rigatoni, Rigatoni Pollo Pesto and Penne Abbruzzi. The parmigiana plates work the same comfort lane, with Chicken Parmigiana and Eggplant Parmigiana taking the familiar approach for a table that wants no surprises. Lamb Osso Bucco — braised lamb shank with vegetables, demi-glace and mashed potatoes — is the slower dinner upgrade when one diner wants a plate that takes its own time. Spaghetti Seafood Marinara and Parmesan Panko Crusted Salmon hold the seafood end down. Prosciutto & Funghi Pizza is the alternate order for the half of the table that does not want a bowl. Tiramisu and lemon ricotta cannoli close the meal in the same straight Italian lane.