Baldini surprisingly took a reservation for 16 for my birthday considering the entire restaurant probably seats about 30 people. They have one waiter, one busboy, and a chef.
The first thing I noticed is that it seems like they have been doing this a long time. The service is impeccable - friendly and down-to-earth, but very knowledgeable about the menu and helpful with the wine list. The waiter even used the kitschy, massively over-sized pepper grinder for our amusement.
The food was solid, traditional Italian. My date and I shared the carpaccio to start, which I have to admit was only okay. It was supposed to be pepper-encrusted, but the flavour could have used some more punch. For the main I had calabrese con rapini, which was excellent. The flavour combination was executed much better in this dish and paired well with the penne (I love getting sauce explosions from inside the pasta).
Almost everyone in the party of reduced-to-14 thoroughly enjoyed their meals.
Overall the experience was great. I highly recommended Baldini if you're looking for traditional Italian fare with the accompaniment of great service in a comfortable, cozy setting.