Sandro's

The first time we went to Sandro’s, everyone in our party had recently experienced a fairly sh*tty day. By the time we left, all had been resolved. Pasta may not solve all the world’s problems, but it can certainly solve some of them.

Sandro’s is an old school-feeling Italian restaurant on the Upper East Side, and pasta that’s frankly, as good as anything we’ve had in Rome. The bucatini al’amatriciana is excellent, as is the cacio e pepe. You can easily go all pasta here, but the rest of the food is very good as well: the veal scallopine is strongly recommended.

The place is run by a large, friendly Italian guy, who will pour your table complimentary grappa once you’re done with your meal. If your problems still aren’t solved by this point, we don’t know what to tell you.