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The heaping portions of rich, intensely seasoned dishes that chef Ken Deiner creates would make his Italian grandmother Amelia—the cook and restaurateur who was his inspiration—proud. A pan-fried appetizer of spiedini alla Romana sandwiches Deiner’s own fresh mozzarella between egg-battered slices of bread and gets a kick from Parmesan and a zesty anchovy sauce; it’ll feed two. Mains like aragosta e gamberi alla Francese (giant prawns and lobster in a lemony butter sauce) and saltimbocca alla Romana (seared veal medallions layered with prosciutto and sage in a white-wine demiglace) could each feed a small family. The restaurant’s small scale—there are just eleven tables inside the cozy, red-walled dining room, and about fifteen more outside on a fenced-in patio lit by tiki torches—lets the chef play mother hen among his diners. When he gets a break from the stove, Deiner wanders among the tables, chatting up regulars, many of whom are couples from the neighborhood out for an evening away from the kids. — Sarah Gold

Spiedini alla Romana, $9.95; saltimboca alla Romana, $18.50; aragosta e gamberi alla Francese, $24.95; bisteca alla Griglia, $39.95