One of the better main courses is a large open ravioli stuffed with little langoustines awash in a heady truffle-scented shellfish stock.

It turned out to be large, black ravioli (colored with calamari ink) filled with lobster meat, served in a sauce of basil, Parmesan and cream.

We ordered both, and each had its partisans; I preferred the boiled, with its tender wrappers evoking large ravioli.

It was a single large ravioli.

It also supplied a chunky tomato confit and a large artichoke-filled ravioli on the plate.

Pepper also obfuscated a delicate clear broth enveloping delicious fresh asparagus and two large ravioli filled with duck slices (a nice conceit).

The selection includes large assorted raviolis ($1 to $3 apiece, with a 10-piece minimum), which are made daily.

Pastas are simple and good, whether linguine with white clam sauce or large half-moon ravioli in a light tomato-and-cream sauce.

Another success story was pasta pillows, large house-made ravioli stuffed with sweet potatoes in a sage cream sauce with a peppy edge.

The comfortable familiarity of the pasta (two large ravioli squares filled with cheese) was rocked by a fiery hot-pepper sauce.