Even the most hard-to-please Italian-food connoisseurs have a soft spot for Lupa, Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich's "downscale" Roman trattoria (they also run high-end hits Babbo and Esca). Rough-hewn wood, great Italian wines, and simple preparations of top-quality ingredients are what Lupa is about. People come repeatedly for dishes such as bucatini with sweet-sausage ragù, house-made salamis and hams, and fried baby artichokes. The front room of the restaurant is seated on a first-come, first-served basis; reservations are taken for the back. Subway: A, B, C, D, E, F, V to W. 4th St.