Ormella's, Miramar

Read Ornella's menu inattentively, and you'd be forgiven for thinking it's a steak house. The culinary team does, after all, grill filet mignon, skirt steak, lamb chops, and salmon to perfection. However, the eatery is thoroughly Italian, with a vast array of pasta dishes to prove it. Take the gnocchi, drizzled in a choice of nine sauces ranging from classic marinara to puttanesca to aglio e olio, Italian for garlic and oil, the kryptonite of slip-prone vampires. For a more complex flavor bouquet, there's also the house Pasta Ornella's, tossed with calamari, scallops, shrimp, and sautéed mushrooms in an oil, wine, and garlic sauce.