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When Vijay Gupta expanded his restaurant holdings in 1979 (he owns Indian spot Mughlai across the street), Italian eateries on the Upper West Side were a rarity. Gupta may not have quite written the Italian-restaurant script, but he certainly sticks to it—high tin ceilings, exposed brick walls, black-and-white photos of scenic Italy, etc. And pioneer or not, given that prices are on par with some of the city’s most celebrated Italian joints, he sets your culinary expectations high. But only the namesake pappardelle is good enough to satisfy such anticipation. The heaping bowl of al dente house-made flat noodles is packed with garlicky, bite-size pieces of crunchy broccoli rabe and a thin coat of peppery olive oil. Nothing else on the menu is quite so sublime. — Pervaiz Shallwani

Pappardelle al broccoli di rape, $16.50