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Cucina di Pesce is the type of unpretentious, comfortably lived-in Italian restaurant that ruled New York before Mario Batali and his ilk turned the town upside-down. But if Cucina's ambience feels a bit dated, its flavors are absolutely contemporary. This is one of the best places in the city to get good Italian food on a budget. The pasta—from the comically enormous spinach ravioli to the succulent sun-dried tomato fusilli—will seduce even the most strident Atkins followers. And the seafood lives up to its billing in the restaurant's moniker: sea scallops, scampi, salmon and their brethren are mouthwateringly fresh. The only drawback to Cucina is that everyone seems to know how good it is, so take advantage of its $12.95 early dinner special to beat the crowds. — Rebecca Marx

Daily, 3:30 p.m.—6:30 p.m., $12.95

Seafood lasagna, $12; grilled salmon, $13; grilled eggplant, $7