Pasta has always been there for me when I needed it. When I'm sad, a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. When I'm celebrating, a decadent heap of seafood linguine with blackened scallops in a white wine butter sauce. Pasta is my favorite dining partner and it never lets me down.   

I've been eating a lot of pasta lately. From the baked penne with n'duja at Pizzeria Virtù to an off-the-menu dish at Tratto. I've found noodles for every occasion and some favorites have risen to the top. This list even includes a few oddballs, like lush pesto gnocchi dumplings and a kimchi-laced spin on spaghetti served at a Mesa food stall.