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You'd expect a place like Ponte Vecchio, which serves unwavering New York-style Italian cuisine, to embrace its heritage and go for the red-checkered tablecloth backdrop rather than snooze-inducing beige walls and bland hotel art. Alas, this restaurant's pretensions—as witnessed by its high prices and attempt at upscale décor—at times overwhelm its tradition. Still, there are reasons to visit if you're in the neighborhood; locals, often on a first name basis with the genial career waiters, have kept this Bay Ridge mainstay alive since 1978. Veal dishes, such as the rich sorrentino layered with strips of proscuitto and melted provolone, abound, and the rest of the classic Italian gang is here, too: Sharp broccoli rabe is cooked to a proper wilt, and the hearty pasta fagioli soup begs for a fork to collect all the al dente morsels. Neither the food nor the ambience makes Ponte Vecchio a Brooklyn find, but this place isn't looking to be discovered, either. — Caryn Brooks

Broccoli rabe, $10.50; pasta fagioli, $9; sole with bread crumbs, $25.95; veal sorrentino, $26