There are certain situations where the quality of your experience can vary a lot depending on how you approach them. A Thanksgiving dinner with your in-laws might make you anxious enough to question whether true love is really worth the three hours at this dinner table. But, if you go in knowing that your father-in-law really, really hates NAFTA and that his idea of current popular culture is “the MTV,” then you increase your odds of having an enjoyable night. At Evelina, the quality of your experience will also be dependent on going in with the right mindset. If you make use of the knowledge that this is a dark and relatively intimate spot where you should stick to the pasta section of the menu, then you will maximize your chances of having a nice dinner before the evening gets underway. This is a Mediterranean restaurant in a part of Fort Greene that’s packed with good neighborhood spots, but Evelina feels cooler than most of them. The sleek space and dim lighting make it an ideal place to share some interesting wines and pastas with a date or small group. Each time we’ve come, the tables and long bar have been full of people who looked like they enjoyed their coffee get togethers and decided that dinner probably wouldn’t be a total waste of time. How likely these early-in-the-game daters are to come back to Evelina depends on what they order, and if they agree on things like spirit animal compatibility. The menu of Mediterranean small plates, pastas, and wood-fired entrees rotates weekly. We enjoyed most of the starters, and the persimmon and beets topped with stracciatella is one of the best salads, and appetizers in general, that we’ve had in a while. While the waitstaff will tell you that you can’t go wrong with any of the entrees, we strongly recommend sticking to the pastas. All of them come with a substantial amount of meat or seafood, and the portions are certainly shareable. The squid ink pasta with uni and crab, though, is one that you won’t want to share, even if your date tells you that going halfsies would mean you two can do Thanksgiving in the Caribbean this year. The non-pasta mains, like the branzino and roasted chicken, tend to be forgettable and kept this restaurant’s rating from being quite a bit higher. Whether or not you leave Evelina eager to return is in your hands. This is not one of those spots where simply walking in the door assures you a great night ahead. You need to go in with a few key points in mind—this is not the place for a rowdy group dinner, stay away from the non-pasta entrees, don’t mention spirit animals. This preparation, like arriving at Thanksgiving with “avoid globalisation and hip-hop” scribbled on your palm, will greatly increase your likelihood of having an enjoyable dinner.