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Maybe it’s the floral tapestry chintz covering the high-backed padded chairs, or the white-clothed tables set with Italian ceramics. Or perhaps it’s the booming "Buona sera!" from the team of cheerful, vest-clad waiters. There is something cornily familiar about Trattoria Alba, and it’s probably the no-surprises menu that’s giving you déjà vu: insalata mista, fried calamari and zucchini, eggplant rollatini, linguine alla vongole, and scallopine saltimboca, meat tortellini in walnut sauce, and penne with pesto, shrimp, and asparagus. Whether familiarity breeds contentment is your call but if it is, this is a place where you can linger. That’s a good thing if you’re easily enticed by desserts from payard patisserie, or by the house-made tiramisu. — Carey Meyers

Tue.–Fri., 11:30 a.m.–4 p.m., $19.75

Insalata tricolore, $7.50; picatta alla limone, $17