Profile

Before studying at the Culinary Institute of America, owner Enzo Di Rende worked for his father at the world-renowned Dominick's on Arthur Avenue and his own dining venture reflects the two distinct apprenticeships of his training. Beyond the stone-faced exterior of his restaurant, you’ll find an emphasis on impeccable service, daily market ingredients and refined preparations. Many regulars including a fair share of families fill the two soft-toned, barely decorated dining rooms and sup from a simple menu that echoes the spare decor. The fried calamari is supple and barely in need of breading, and the string bean salad, with basil, garlic and olives, is refreshingly light. Appetizers such as these leave plenty of room for heavier entrees like veal scaloppini with white wine-soaked artichokes, or fettuccine with asparagus and shrimp. — Keach Hagey

Veal ai Carciofini, $20.95; fried calamari alla Pasquale, $15.95; string bean salad, $6.95