Best pasta noodle in the known universe is penne. [Please note: for Italian pasta you must use 100% durum wheat semolina, or you're eating egg noodles. If you eat egg noodles you should be ashamed of yourself.]
Other best noodle in the universe is soba. But that's buckwheat.
Meat-filled noodles, like ravioli and tortellini, cannot be compared to regular noodles, b/c the quality of the filling varies, and greatly determines the enjoyment. I have had "lobster" ravioli that tasted like old fish. And I've had lobster ravioli that blow your mind. So, the filling is more important than the noodle.
Other great pastas:
1. Spaghetti: still the undisputed King of Pastas. Spaghetti al pomadoro is the distilled essence of Italian cuisine.
2. Bigoli: Spaghetti's older brother.
3. Gemelli: but only with a heavy meat sauce.
4. Pappardelle: big and flat, and so good when made fresh. In heaven, they serve pappardelle with oxtail ragu every Thurs.
Angel Hair pasta unfortunately is the ass-end of the pasta spectrum. It is not well-liked in Italy for a good reason: It gets mealy when you cook it. All pasta should be "al dente" when you eat it, which means it should be "toothsome". If you do not understand, make friends with an Italian person, and ask them to show you.
