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Its sunlight sadly stanched by the behemoth that is AOL-Time Warner’s new corporate headquarters on Columbus Circle, this inauspicious American bistro on 60th Street still shines with its emphasis on homemade pastas (heavy on the cream sauce) and a bevy of meat dishes cooked over a wood grill. A delicious baby chicken marinated in buttermilk and rosemary and served with garlic-mashed potatoes, roasted onion and broccolini is $34. A corporate crowd dominates during Gabriel’s busy lunch hour, filling out the cozy booths and 20-odd tables in the main room; dinner’s partial to Lincoln Center patrons of the arts and local dowager types. Either way, it’s hearty, no-frills, otherwise innocuously upscale Upper West Side dining with high standards and no attitude. — Andy Bailey

Risotto del giorno, varies; potato gnocchi, $28