Baroni

Kudos to the operators of Brookwood Place shopping center, who pulled in astute local restaurateurs to replace the recently defunct (and chronically dull) Wolfgang Puck Express. Baroni—run by the owners of Baraonda and Publik, both near the Fox—offers affordable, familiar Italian cuisine cooked with skill that belies the prices. Veal meatballs on top of spaghetti have a fluffy texture and balanced seasoning; arugula salad doesn’t skimp on shards of Parmesan and crisped specks of prosciutto; and the collision of meat, tomato, and creamy bechamella sauce in the silky lasagna is rich but not excessive. Impressing with pizza has become tougher in this town, but Baroni’s thin, Neapolitan-style pies hold their own.