And although that ribbon pasta called pappardelle was unavailable, the substitute fettuccine made an agreeable vehicle for pesto and tender, juicy sun-dried tomatoes tossed atop.

Wild mushrooms - mostly cepes and shiitake - show up again in a deep bowl of tripolini, a curly ribbon pasta.

Diners can also begin with a half order of one of Il Cigno's pastas, all of which were excellent, especially the egg-based ribbon pastas.

Pizzoccheri are a type of short tagliatelle, a flat ribbon pasta, made with 80% buckwheat flour and 20% wheat flour.

Hearty eaters ordering from the regular menu should begin with one of the restaurant's blue ribbon pastas.

Kick back with a steamy bowl of pappardelle (wide ribbon pasta) with courgette flowers and mussels or filetto al castello (veal in a creamy courgette sauce).

Other blue ribbon pastas are penne and lobster in a robust red sauce and fettuccine blessed with big chunks of lobster in a silken pink sauce.

The least expensive, trenetta zegna at $10.95, was a simple delight: chewy (al dente) scallop-edged ribbon pasta embraced by an intense, garlicky pesto.

You could opt for vieires a la planxa amb tagliatelle i tomàquet confitat (grilled scallops with ribbon pasta and tomato confit).

Bread TriBeCa serves fat dollops of sublime pesto with taglierini, a medium-size ribbon pasta.