Grace’s Trattoria (CLOSED)

Owned by the people responsible for the popular Grace’s Marketplace, this Upper East Sider (whose decor teeters between Tuscan trattoria and English tearoom) is a home away from home for its mature regulars. Over his six-year tenure, chef Joe Trama has cut back on menu changes, and now offers his more daring dishes (like wild striped bass in a lemon-caper sauce) as specials. It’s best to stick to basics: fettuccine in lobster sauce, Chilean sea bass, brick-oven pizza. Do luxuriate in the waitstaff’s unfailing attentiveness and reliable advice.