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The drop-in diners here look as though they can't believe their luck. Ending up at this unprepossessing space for a casual bite, they've stumbled on attention-getting food. A birch bar on one side of the narrow room faces a handful of small tables and an exposed brick wall covered with shelves of wine bottles. There's another dining room hidden downstairs. Once the food arrives, it's clear you're in more than competent hands. The menu takes an easygoing dip into various Italian regional cuisines, from pork chop Milanese to Sicilian meatloaf. House-made pastas stand up to rich, meaty sauces, like a classic ragù Bolognese, as well as lighter seasonal treatments. The linguini with baby clams is dressed with little more than a few sprigs of fennel and a swirl of peppery Ligurian olive oil, each flavor clean and bright. Not everything finds the right balance, but the overall attention to detail is encouraging: The house-marinated olives have a complex fennel taste reminiscent of za’atar, and the chocolate almond cake is topped with candied orange zest which has a terrific crisp-chewy texture. With touches like these, Aroma earns itself a lot of good will. — Jennifer Paull

Sunday nights hold a couple of special draws: a classical guitarist and a $25 three-course prix-fixe dinner. Mondays, flemenco guitarist and a $30 five-course prix-fixe dinner. Wine-tasting dinners, usually with the winemaker in attendance, are also held occassionally.

Linguini with clams, $18