Sfoglina

This focused, consistent and lovely trattoria serves the kind of food that everyone wants to return to again and again. The slender room is instantly welcoming with its working pasta station and a whimsical portrait of Sophia Loren. The name (Italian for “pasta master”) sets a very high bar but lives up to its moniker with a notable variety of hearty and elegant preparations listed as “classical” and “seasonal.” Highlights have included soft, almost whipped polenta folded with showers of cacio e pepe and piled with fresh green peas and shaved pecorino. Spinach tonnarelli melded with a vibrantly seasoned lamb ragù exudes a faint whiff of sweetness. Speaking of sweet, end with the wonderfully crumbly hazelnut cake with a delightful lemony edge.