Elio’s

Prices seem high here, considering that the food can be merely passable. But this is the Upper East Side, after all, and Elio’s has the feel of an old-school club—lots of dark wood and graying, loud-talking men at ease in jacket and tie and accompanied by their much younger wives. Stick with dishes that rely on quality ingredients rather than kitchen expertise, like prosciutto with melon, arugula salad and simple pastas.