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Baci stands in the middle of a commotion of restaurants, bars and pizza parlors along Bay Ridge’s Third Avenue, offering Italian cuisine that’s not nouveau or aggressively gourmet, but dresses up the standard chicken, veal and pasta dishes with flourishes that lend the meal character. The dining room is decorated with vintage Italian opera and travel posters, and holds about a dozen tables, many of which play host to neighborhood regulars ordering “the usual.” In this case that could mean a moist chicken breast sauteed with artichoke hearts, or a standout veal scallopini bathed in a rich, creamy cognac sauce and covered with sauteed onions. The appetizer menu wisely tends towards lighter starters, like calamari drizzled with a balsamic reduction, or slightly anonymous baked clams in a thin lemon sauce. The servers allow hardly a sip of water to go without an instant refill, and as you eat, Sinatra songs play nonstop. — Jonathan Dixon

Chicken with artichoke hearts, $15.50; veal with cognac sauce, $19.95