Gabbiano’s feels like a delightful anachronism. Plates of chicken parmesan bigger than your face and fried mozzarella shot glasses, set against a backdrop of a mural featuring painted columns and a patio with a string of light-up grapes, feel like they came from a time before I was born, like a well-worn ’70s red sauce joint. 

A few years ago, I might have passed over Gabbiano’s in favor of a place with hard-to-pronounce pasta names. But right now, coming out of trying times and back into the cheerful buzz of a dining room, Gabbiano’s makes total sense. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, offering playful, though sometimes imperfect, spins on the familiar—while delivering a few stunner dishes and a stellar cocktail menu.