Il Mulino   

Snagging a table at Il Mulino -- one of the best and most expensive classic Italian restaurants in the city -- is more difficult than earning respect from the Corleones. You might just find a Corleone-type or two lurking in the dark, steam-clam shadows of this old-school, belly-up, belt-down trattoria. Extremely popular with diners who know a fine lamb chop when they eat one, this unpretentious old-world wonder exists in its own magical universe. Garlic is administered at whim, portions are sized so big you beg "basta!", and the inevitable waits (even celebs and bigwigs have trouble prying dinner tables away from the regulars) are so familiar, they're part of the rustic decorum. Porcini mushroom ravioli, fresh mozzarella, fine Chianti, great grappa, tuxedoed waiters -- everything here is so indulgently worth it you won't even notice the transfer of weight from wallet to stomach. With just one seating for both lunch and dinner, reservations are required (if you can get them). -- Yon Motskin