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Visually, Lo Scalo a delicate palate-cleanser of a place; a single small room, with a tiny bar in front and two neat rows of tables covered in crisp white linen stretching along the walls. The room is lit by two baroque chandeliers in a flat, doctor�s-office light. This prim, tiptoe quality shows up in chef Mauro Mafrici�s cooking, too. There are a variety of satisfying, deceptively simple salads, like one made with small roast artichokes and bits of quail, and a plate of grilled swordfish layered with green-tomato salsa and fat Sicilian capers. Mafrici, a grizzled veteran of some of the city�s renowned Italian kitchens (Felidia, I Trulli), constructs his menu in a fashionable but barely decipherable way, according to eight different ingredient groups. The worst of the bunch is the sole group; the best are the lamb and the artichoke. Many of the larger entr�es (indistinct veal, overcooked duck wrapped around bouncy slices of pork) are more perfunctory, although the desserts are as good as you�ll find in most Italian neighborhood joints, especially the fresh-made mascarpone, and the coffee-gelato affogato, splashed with espresso and served in three white demitasse cups. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Chef Mafrici offers not one but three tasting menus ($48, $58, and $64), which he will concoct according to your personal whim.

Vitello, Risotto, Stuffed quail, Lamb lasagne, Coffee-gelato affogato.