New Italian Spot Coming To Ravinia? [Trattoria Valle D'Itria

I was thumbing through the latest Highland Park "Highlander" newsletter I received in the mail and saw a small section for new businesses in town. The last entry was for an Italian restaurant scheduled to open April 1st at 581 Roger Williams..."Trattoria Valle d'Itria".

This is the old Ravinia Bistro / Tapis Rouge space...last I remember driving by a couple weeks ago there was still a "restaurant for lease" sign in the window, so I wouldn't be surprised if that April 1st scheduled opening ends up being more like a June 1st. I'm sure the owner(s) will work night and day to make sure they're open for the start of the Ravinia Pop schedule. Here's hoping they can come close to the 4/1 projection.

Anybody heard rumors / rumblings / solid intel regarding this new venture?

***EDIT: I JUST NOTICED THAT RICKSTER RECENTLY POSTED THIS ON THE OPENINGS AND CLOSINGS THREAD, SORRY FOR STARTING A NEW POST:

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:48 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote:
Hearing there's a new Italian restaurant opening in the Ravinia section of Highland Park. no other details as of yet.


Name is Trattoria D'Itria, going into the Tapis Rouge space. Sign was up this weekend. Also, a sign up at the old fresh pasta place on the corner of St. Johns and Roger Williams announcing Abigail's American Bistro coming soon.

Sign now says they are targeting mid-April opening.

The new owners are working hard at getting it ready. I passed by at 10pm on Saturday and they were still at it. When I went to get a closer view the friendly owner invited me in. He just registered a domain name and will eventually have a website up.

Looks nice -- walls now painted yellow-sand color. Much more relaxing than the hard-edged trendy look when Tapis Rouge had the space.

Owner said he was from the south of Italy and planned to serve the kind of food he was used to in Italy. I assume he's from Apulia as that's where the Valle D'Itria is located. Also, his business card has a lovely scene with buildings showing the conical roofs known as trulli which are found in that region.

They've installed a brick pizza oven. Pizzas will only be Italian thin-crust style. There will be about a half dozen versions. I remember he mentioned Margherita among others. He's not trying to compete with Pierro's Pizza a block away which does pan/stuffed as well as thin.

The neighborhood certainly could use a good restaurant. I hope this one succeeds.


Trattoria Valle D'Itria
Ristorante Italiano and Pizzeria
581 Roger Williams Avenue
Highland Park, IL 60035
847-266-0600
847-266-0603: fax

Very excited about it. Opening should be in a week or two with a menu ready in a few days. The wood-burning this crust will be a welcome alternative to the deep-dish and cross-cut pies of the Chicago area. Giovanni mentioned to me (I popped my head in to see if they had a menu yet) that he is from Puglia, so hopefully there will a ton of influence from the region in the food (lamb and seafood oriented with plenty of pastas and tomato and artichoke dishes).

When I was driving through Ravinia yesterday, the sign said they are opening tonight. Let's hope this place is the real deal...I'm pretty excited about it.

Anyone hear anything about "Abigail's Bistro", which is "soon to be opening" down the street in the former Pasta Fresca space?

It was open this evening and looked pretty busy. The parking lot was full and there were no empty spaces on the street.

Pleasant food odors were wafting out so I followed my nose and looked at the posted menu. It had 10 or so pasta dishes priced from about $11-15. An equal number of entrees -- chicken/veal/fish from $15-19 and two steak options at $22/$24. No lamb dishes.

A couple of dishes claimed Puglian influence; many were standard red sauce Italian.

The pizzas look interesting. All are 12" thin crust and priced at $9-12.

It looks nice inside and the people seemed to be enjoying themselves. I'll try it soon.

We stumbled uopn this new restaurant in the Ravinia neighborhood of Highland Park last night and walked in.

We were warmly greeted by the owner/cook and by the wonderful Italian music. The ligting was just right. There were photographs of Puglia and the walls were warm Sienna. Warm, crusty bread, olive oil and good parmigianno cheese were immediately served

The food was lusty, down to earth and very tasty. The eggplant with cheese was delicious, the tomatoes, mozzarella and basil in the caprese salad were fresh, the the tilapia in lemon sauce was exceptional. the pizza (we asked for cheeseless) was crusty and fresh, and the cannoli - mouthwateringly good.

There were a really good house Chianti and very nice wines from the owner's native Puglia.

We enjoyed every morcel and even more - the friendly conversation with the owner.

This will be a frequent stop for us. Not only before or after Ravinia but a place to unwind, have a great meal as a couple or with friends.

This restaurant deserves to succeed. It is lovely.

tbenami wrote:The food was lusty, down to earth and very tasty. The eggplant with cheese was delicious, the tomatoes, mozzarella and basil in the caprese salad were fresh, the the tilapia in lemon sauce was exceptional. the pizza (we asked for cheeseless) was crusty and fresh, and the cannoli - mouthwateringly good.

WOW. Lusty food!! I live in the neighborhood and the wife and I are always looking for somewhere new and lusty to eat. Please dont take this the wrong way, as i dont mean to be a sceptic, but are you connected to the restaurant in any way? If not please accept my compliments--you are an exceptional descriptive writer.

We are keeping our fingers crossed for this place and hope it fills the shoes left behind by the excellent Ravinia Bistro which used to be located in TVD'I's space. I will try it soon and report back.

I have not yet been to Trattoria Valle D'Itria, as I'm allowing time for them to get the kinks out. I have heard two favorible comments and am hopeful.

A friend (who is in the food service business) was there opening night and reported the food was quite good - the salmon was particularly praised. But the restaurant was not prepared for the crowds which inundated them (it was a warm Friday evening) which resulted in long waits and some rather vocal unhappiness.

About a week ago I was standing outside the restaurant looking at the menu (they've simplified it eliminating several pasta dishes) when some people exiting the place volunteered to me that the food was quite good. They too praised the salmon as well as the chicken.

I asked how the service was and they said it was ok, though there was room for improvement.

In all it sounds worth trying and I plan to do so in the near future.

So what happened to the Puglian dishes that were foretold?

I haven't been here yet, and I know this is presumptuous of me to say this, but why must everything in HP be dumbed down and sanitized? I know the population is aging, but the city is desperately in need of rustic Mediterranean cooking in the vein of Grieveson or Izard; I would have happily settled for regional Italian. Alas, it sounds like Rosebud--just in Ravinia.

Sigh.

chezbrad wrote:So what happened to the Puglian dishes that were foretold?

I haven't been here yet, and I know this is presumptuous of me to say this, but why must everything in HP be dumbed down and sanitized? I know the population is aging, but the city is desperately in need of rustic Mediterranean cooking in the vein of Grieveson or Izard; I would have happily settled for regional Italian. Alas, it sounds like Rosebud--just in Ravinia.

Sigh.

I'll try to hit it soon and decide for myself but at this point, I'm inclined to be less than enthusiastic, too. The mere mention of tilapia has lowered my expectations a notch or two.

=R=

I've been there twice now, but have been hesitant to post as they have some serious kinks to work out. The food is quite good, especially the mussels, pizzas, and the orchiette. Service has been an issue as they are clearly understaffed, but I have been assured that they are working on it, so I am cautiously optimistic. The other issue is that the wine is served at room temperature, so warmer than it should be - a minor but distracting problem. I think when they get the service issue straightened out things will be just fine.

ronnie_suburban wrote:I'll try to hit it soon and decide for myself but at this point, I'm inclined to be less than enthusiastic, too. The mere mention of tilapia has lowered my expectations a notch or two.

=R=

I think any time the sentence "the salmon is quite good" is used to describe a restaurant in HP, you know you're in trouble.

So can someone who has been there talk about the menu a bit more? I mean, besides the chicken/salmon/tilapia.

chezbrad wrote:So what happened to the Puglian dishes that were foretold?

I haven't been here yet, and I know this is presumptuous of me to say this, but why must everything in HP be dumbed down and sanitized? I know the population is aging, but the city is desperately in need of rustic Mediterranean cooking in the vein of Grieveson or Izard; I would have happily settled for regional Italian. Alas, it sounds like Rosebud--just in Ravinia.

Sigh.

You've said a few things in your post that are way off. HP, especially Ravinia, is a very young crowd. Your typical family here is mid thirties to early forties with young children. The reason they need to have a dumbed down menu (and I hear they won't alter dishes) is that the kitchen is small and the people here are more into service than the actual dishes and kids aren't into "rustic Mediterranean cooking in the vein of Grieveson or Izard." You screw up in a small neighborhood joint in the beginning and you'll be closed in a few months. And this place in the complete opposite of Rosebud which is large, loud, overpriced, and so non personal.

Anyway, I haven't even been here yet but my wife owns the shop right next door and I live a block away so I walk by daily. Everyone up here seems to like it and it may just be that supporting a local place is the most important thing in Ravinia but people up here are quite particular and all want to feel like they have been treated right.

Lusty food sounds good to me...

I used to love Ravinia Bistro and was sad when it closed, even tho I know it's now 2 restaurants ago.

more Italian, well I guess thats ok if it's good and lusty!

This place is OK at best. I am rarely in an accusatory mode but my guess is some of the earlier posts are friends (shills) of the restaurant's proprietor. The menu is very limited. We tried three different chicken dishes. I've had better versions at Hole in the Wall, Next Door or Rosebud (and I'm not a huge fan of Rosebud either). I'd love to see a great, maybe even very good Italian place in Ravinia, but alas I was disappointed.

I stuck my head in today to look at the menu and considered having dinner here with my 20 mos old son until i saw the white tablecloths--we moved on down to happi sushi instead.

i did notice about a dozen or so pizzas on the menu which they claim are made in their "wood burning" oven. Has anyone tried these pies? They might be the saving grace for this place as there is nothing of this nature in the vicinity. I am curious.

I carried out two pies last weekend and was very disappointed in the size...these are more like appetizer flatbreads. Tried the Pizza Itria and another with sausage and mushrooms...both fine in the taste department but painfully dinky...for $25 it was a horrible value. I would order the pizzas again if they were priced correctly at $6 to $9, but at $11 to $14 they are really pushing their luck.

I'm gonna give the place another shot in the pasta/meat/fish department; hopefully I will be more impressed because I really want the place to do well...

optionyout wrote:[

You've said a few things in your post that are way off. HP, especially Ravinia, is a very young crowd. Your typical family here is mid thirties to early forties with young children. The reason they need to have a dumbed down menu (and I hear they won't alter dishes) is that the kitchen is small and the people here are more into service than the actual dishes and kids aren't into "rustic Mediterranean cooking in the vein of Grieveson or Izard." You screw up in a small neighborhood joint in the beginning and you'll be closed in a few months. And this place in the complete opposite of Rosebud which is large, loud, overpriced, and so non personal.

This is the wrong place to talk demographics, but I believe the age range with the greatest percentage of the HP population is still the 60+ crowd; it was at 25% the last time I heard anything about it. As far as I'm concerned, and I accept the heat for this--heck, I'm bashing my mom here--they're the reason the town is dominated by the Players/BBQ Pit/Ravinia Grill-type restaurant, plus the rash of new steakhouses in Northbrook. But apparently not Timbers (not that I'm complaining; good riddance to that).

Anyway, the point is simple: HP can support a good, moderately priced restaurant. It's called Casa De Isaac. I wish I could readily name some others--I think Cafe Central and Phoenicia get close; I suppose Prairiegrass should be in there, though I think it's pretty mediocre--but I'm at a loss. Hence my post above.

By the way, in light of your comment that "You screw up in a small neighborhood joint in the beginning and you'll be closed in a few months," I have to ask: did you ever have the misfortune of dining at Tapis Rouge? Because that's precisely the thing the town does not need.

Ravinia and uptown HP are two completely different demographics. The uptown folks don't come over to the poor side of town. Ravinia is like a dead end street and you'll miss it unless you are specifically looking for something there. The tiny strip has zero pull stores. Unless you call Walgreens a destination. Trust me, I'm not from here and but I live here now. Tapis Rouge was bad for a lot of reasons. Its downfall was inconsistency and the eclectic menu. Simple and kid friendly is the key here. Bella Via uptown is very good and wouldn't last 2 months here.

optionyout wrote:Ravinia and uptown HP are two completely different demographics. The uptown folks don't come over to the poor side of town.

Do you consider Ravinia to be the poor side of town? Nothing could be further from the truth. What I think you meant to say is uptown HP draws folks dining and shopping from many different places outside of HP while Ravinia (meaning the town of) is a pretty local HP destination

Ravinia to be the poor side of town... there is a poor side of town in HP?

Define "poor".

optionyout wrote:Ravinia and uptown HP are two completely different demographics. The uptown folks don't come over to the poor side of town.

What the ...?


Whoever said ...(laughing and wiping tears from my eyes...) we shouldn't discuss demographics ... was probably right ... (stop ... you're killing me ... I can't breathe ...)

Hi,

I have lived in Highland Park for most of my life. I live a bit east and south of the Highland Park movie theater, which means most of my wanderings have been in the cental business district or refered to as "up town" by the local residents.

Do you happen to recall why there is a bridge straddling the railroad tracks on Central Avenue? It was determined people either shopped on one side of the tracks or the other, but often not both. The bridge was supposed to have a psychological affect of bridging both sides of town. They made one error in their planning, they forgot to consult with the railroad whose right of way they encroached with their bridge. Clearly they came to some terms with the railroad, otherwise it would be a half-million dollar memory by now.

When I first moved to Highland Park in 1970, this was not the ritzy shopping and dining location. We had a number of practical stores I now miss: Garnett's Department store, a fabric store, a hardware store, Worth's bakery that baked on the premises, Gsell's pharmacy, Columbia Hifi and Television (changed technologies a few times and closed last year) Colby's and Fell's for haberdashery and my favorite: a Walgreens and Woolworths across the street from each other. When Northbrook Court opened in 1976, the central business district went on life support. It has certainly revived now, but I patronize almost none of the shops.

The Ravinia business district is an issue of location-location-location. It does not have a direct feed from 41 like Central Avenue has, though you can reach it via Clavey, a jog north to Roger Williams. It has had a lot of doctor's offices, dry cleaners and hosted unique destination businesses like a string instrument repair shop, George R's map shop (since moved to Central in Evanston) and a frame shop that since moved to north of Central. It is now home to the kid-oriented diner named Sloppy Jo, can anyone comment on how she's doing? I have been recommending it to grandparents who want to take their grandchildren someplace special.

Ravinia looks very lively compared to Braeside, which seems to exist mostly for the convenience of people who use the train station.

The business district at Old Elm and fronting Fort Sheridan seem to have good traffic flow and patronage.

Carlos and Casa del Isaac have a location advantage of being adjacent to Highwood's restaurant district. I am not sure how Isaac would do in Ravinia. While Carlos being a destination restaurant could make it work. Carlos' neighbors were once a kitchen design shop (Casa del Isaac), a pharmacy (Miramar) and a hardware store (now antiques).

In my age group with people sending their kids to college. Many are selling (or wished they could sell) to allow a move back to the Chicago. Some retired people are staying in their homes or moving into condos circling Central Avenue. On our block, we are now the old-timers. Every house has changed hands several times since we arrived here. We now have lots of toddlers to high school kids, which wasn't the case ten years ago.

Regards,

Well, I finally made it over to Trattoria Valle d'Itria and I wish I could say that I liked it more than I did. I say this because everyone in the restaurant with whom I had contact was supremely friendly and very interested in making sure that we were happy. However, I didn't think the food was at that same level. It's unfortunate that even though bad service can ruin superior food, superior service usually isn't enough to save less-than-stellar food.

We ordered a few appetizers and sadly, none of them really impressed. Our pizza, which was touted as being cooked in a wood-fired oven, possessed none of the typical wood-fired characteristics or flavor. It was neither smokey nor charred. Additionally, it appeared -- based on its notable uniformity and perfect roundness -- that the crust was actually pre-made, outside the restaurant, via the use of a machine but I'm not 100% certain of that. In any case, the excessively generous portions of arugula, basil, cherry tomatoes and imported cheeses that topped it were not enough to redeem it. Calamari Fritti disappointed me also. Not only was the breading way too heavy but it fell off the calamari at even the slightest touch. I thought the calamari itself had an unnatural softness, too. It was beyond tender and bordering on mushy. I'm at a loss to explain why because I've had frozen calamari before and never seen it behave like this. And based on the texture, I cannot believe that it was fresh, either. The odd texture made the dish pretty unsatisfying. The third appetizer, Shrimp Florentine, was a special that was just okay. With this dish, an unfortunate theme -- which started with the calamari -- began to emerge: over-manipulation. IMO, unless you are at a red-sauce joint, the best Italian cooking is restrained and reflects a less-is-more philosophy. Ingredients are allowed to shine. However, this shrimp was so buried in its preparation it was almost a footnote. OTOH, the shrimp had that iodine-y note that one never associates with really fresh, high quality seafood, so perhaps its near obliteration was fortunate.

Between appetizers and entrees, we had salads of tender, mixed baby greens. Unfortunately, the 3 dressings offered were all way too heavy for the greens and completely obscured them. This was true even of the balsamic vinaigrette, which probably could have been successful if it had been a bit lighter. The other 2 dressings (caesar and a house-made mustard) would have probably been too heavy even for the heartiest romaine or radicchio.

Entrees continued to reflect the kitchen's heavy (possibly underconfident?) hand. A skate wing special was just completely buried in a heavy, olive-oil based citrusy sauce, which was unfortunate because the skate wing itself was very tender, seemingly fresh and cooked well. Pollo al Forno was covered in a somewhat bland pool of a sauce that emulated a vesuvio preparation. The best of our 3 entrees was the Veal Milanese, which was hot and crispy, but too-heavily breaded, a bit dry and relatively devoid of flavor.

For dessert, we had the Tartufo, which was made of gelato imported from Italy. In fact, all the desserts served at TVdI, we were told, are imported from Italy. While that certainly reflects a genuine appreciation and philosophy on the restaurant's part, I'm not sure it's the best choice. As long as you're not making your gelati in-house, there's nothing wrong (other than cost) with buying it from Italy but I think that other dessert offerings like cannoli, tiramisu and chocolate mousse cake (none of which we tried) are probably better when made fresh and not shipped several thousand miles.

Again, I really wanted to like this place and everyone at the restaurant was so accomodating but the food at our meal really disappointed me. I wouldn't say it's typically 'north shore' either, because I think of that mythical style as being much more 'naked' than this. I've often joked in the past that all folks 'on the shore' want is a broiled piece of fish and some steamed vegetables. Nothing could be more disparate from that notion than the food we were served at Trattoria Valle d'Itria. It's the antithesis of what I consider to be 'north shore' and unfortunately, the antithesis of what I believe constitutes great Italian food, as well.

=R=

Too bad the food wasn't prepared as well as that review, nicely done Ronnie. Should we start taking bets on whether it will close even faster than Tapis Rouge? That would be sad, I hope they can get it together and avoid the same fate...

Tony_Spilotro wrote:Should we start taking bets on whether it will close even faster than Tapis Rouge?

TVD'I was jammed when i drove by on Sat and Sunday nights. I have heard from several of my neighbors as well as my barber who is perched across the street on Roger Williams that they have really enjoyed the restaurant so far. I haven't been yet, but I hope they get the chance to iron out the issues that Ronnie mentioned.

Has anyone heard any news about Abigails which is "opening soon" in the space at Roger Williams and St. John's previously occupied by the pasta carry out?

The wife and I finally made it to TVD'I for dinner last night. Frankly,anything in this space is an improvement over Tapis Rouge...We are happy to now have this very nice and reasonable restaurant in our neighborhood. We arrived at 7pm on a Sat night without a reservation and were seated immediately. The place was busy but not crowded with what did not appear to be pre-ravinia festival diners. A place where we can walk in on a Sat night pre movie without reservations that is vibrant but not rushed, friendly, inexpensive and tasty....Is this too much to ask. Apparently not.

Make no mistake, the food here is not setting the world on fire. There is *gasp* tilapia on the menu. While some other posters are not enthused by what they consider middling italian cuisine a la Rosebud, I am more forgiving...afterall the place has to actually stay in business which, in this economy, is a feat in and of itself. I appreciate the fact that this place is not trying to do too much. Several (not an over abundance) selections of apps, salads, pasta, secondi, pizza and dessert...thats it. If TVD'I is trying to be a nice neighborhood Italian place with an emphasis on neighborhhod then it is a success--i mean there are plenty of red sauce and even fine dining Italian options in the immediate area, both Rosebud and Gabriels are within a mile ot two of TVD'I...In fact with Highwood nearby there is not exactly a dearth of Italian options in the area.

Anyway, we were going to the movies so we had a salad each and a pasta each. The Caprese Salad was very nice... perfect tomato, cheese & basil execution with a very robust balsalmic component and a touch of pesto. The oil, vinegar and pesto were not overdone and the seasoning was perfect. Overall, a very fine Caprese execution and a highlight. Not everyone likes pesto on a Caprese Salad...this application was so understated that it really enhanced the dish. We enjoyed this very much.

We had the signature pasta, Orecchiette (Valle D'Itria), which was basically a tomato-basil sauce and ricotta cheese and the Linguine with Fruti di Mar. Both were very tasty. The linguini was generously laden with mussels, clams and shrimp.

Next time we will sample one of the pizzas made in their wood fired oven.

This place is what I think the neighborhood needed. Not exactly a destination restaurant. This is the kind of place I see my wife and I grabbing dinner before we see a movie (as we did last night) or on a sunday evening when we dont feel like straying to far from home. We enjoyed ourselves.

Has anyone heard any news about Abigails which is "opening soon" in the space at Roger Williams and St. John's previously occupied by the pasta carry out?[/quote]

I plan on trying out the new italian on Roger williams...update to folllow

I ran into the chef/owner at the new "Abigails" in the old Pasta Fresca site. His name is Michael. Nice Guy, looks to be in his late 30's. He seems anxious to get construction started. He thinks demolition to start this week and 10-12 weeks construction. This is his first "gig". He went to the CIA in New York and worked at Exmoor and Conway Farms CC for a number of years as exec chef. He seems to know alot about good food and states he knows what the north shore wants. He states this will be "upscale casual" with white tableclothes. Open kitchen, small bar and outdoor dining are in the plans.

I hope he can bring life to this part of HP. I so look forward to go to a "neighborhood place" that I can walk to that serves consistant "great food".

foodie6214

I tried out the new italian TVD'I. I have read all the entries, all of which vary. In a few short words, they have great intentions but lack in exsecution. I don't know why people need to feel like they need to appeal to the masses without being true to some culinary philosophy. Food these days are more than something to fill a belly and restaurants can't rely on being mediocre and expect people to return. Lastly (to get off of my foodie soapbox), great food start off with simple local ingredients that don't sacrifice freshness and quality.

It was a busy nite. We arrived around 830pm. Room was kinda loud but tolerable. Service was quick and expedious. (almost too hustled). Menu was limited, but I can respect that with a small kitchen. Only thing I can say is that, with this limitation, what comes out of the kitchen should be great. Pizza was tasty. Like previous entries, I too question if the crusts were pre-made b/c 1) very round shape 2) it came out of the kitchen 10mins after ordering it ; even wood burning pizzas take time to assemble, bake etc.

Salads Oh the salads....... My husband ordered the caprese. It was "premade" and came out of the fridge 30sec earlier. The tomatoes were tasteless ( what do you expect from a refrigerated tomato?). Pesto was dark and oxidized. Portion size ok. I ordered the ceasar. Again, pre-made from the fridge, boxed croutons and dressing on the side (not ordered that way). 3 ingredient salad: romaine, croutons, dressing! I can do this at homE! Poor exsecution to a simple item. i EXPECT THIS FROM BANQUET MENUS AT THE HYATT SERVING HUNDREDS! Not a small trattoria with only 30 people in house. Portion size ok.

Entree: husband ordered the veal . It tasted fine but portion size small. My spaghetti and mb was tasty, good portion size.

Skipped dessert b/c I could not understand why it needed to be flown in from Italy? Local purveyors in Chicago can do an exceptional job without sacrificing quality or freshness.

Overall, for locals it may need some tweeking. As for a destination, nothing special. I really want this place to suceed b/c I can walk right down the street and another Maggiano's is not overtaking the area!

foodie6214

The first time I was at Trattoria Valle d’Itria was in late May. We wanted to give it a few weeks after opening to get the kinks out and, after hearing several favorable reports, decided to give it a try. Wife No. 1 and I went with another couple.

The room is improved on Tapis Rouge, the previous restaurant in the same spot. The sand-colored walls give it a more relaxing feel than the previous hard-edged trendy look. The only negative is that with wood floors all the surfaces are hard and the place gets fairly loud even when just half full.

We arrived at 6:30 on a weeknight; by 7:00 pm it was fairly busy.

The bread on the table was adequate but not outstanding. The four of us shared the calamari appetizer which had not a trace of grease. The calamari was tender, though we wouldn’t call it mushy (See Ronnie’s report above.) and the breading was a little heavy but wasn't falling off. Guess we were luckier than Ronnie.

I had the minestrone which was OK. For the main, I had Pollo al forno con patate, their version of Chicken Vesuvio. Oddly it had little garlic flavor. Also, it was a tad dry. I’m not big on sauces, but it this case the accompanying sauce saved the dish. Everyone else had veal and was pleased. Two had the veal Milanese and one the scallopini with lemon. We had a coupon for dessert and shared the torta frutti del bosco which was nice though not memorable.

Cost with two glasses of wine, one ice tea, tax and tip came to $30/person.

Service was decent; they had overcome the worst of the early service problems we’d heard about. Overall I thought the place would do occasionally as a convenient neighborhood place, but that’s about it. Everyone else was eager to return, as their main courses had been better than mine.

We were back the evening of July 3rd. Since our first visit the menu had been modified plus lunch service added. (The lunch menu posted outside has salads, several pasta dishes, and a few sandwiches - including sausage and Italian beef.) On the dinner menu the grilled strip steak is gone and Cioppino d’Itria added (hurray - a Puglian dish). I think they may have dropped one of the pasta dishes.

For starters we shared the artichoke and the Pizza Itria (Mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, garlic, arugula, parmigiano reggiano, olive oil and basil). The pizza had nicely balanced flavors and the crust was reasonably crisp. The artichoke, stuffed w/bread crumbs and parmigiana, came with a butter sauce and was a hit with the rest of the table. I can’t eat much butter, so I only had one leaf and a bit of the heart which was very tender.

This time I had the house salad instead of soup. The greens were fresh, but the dressing had too much vinegar for my taste. Next time I’ll just use some of the olive oil on the table.

For entrees one person had the pizza capricciosa (tomato sauce, mozzarella, mushrooms, artichoke, olives, prosciuto Parma) and reported favorably on it. Two people ordered the Cioppino. I had the grilled salmon, which was an improvement on the chicken I had before.

The salmon was served over roasted potatoes with what seemed like the same sauce that I had with the chicken a month ago, but more garlicky this time. The salmon was cooked right - it had a nice char on it, but was still moist inside.

The two people who had Cioppino thought it was excellent. I was allowed a piece of octopus and a mussel which were tasty. The dish worked well with a light saffron-flavored tomato broth. The Cioppino also contained clams, calamari, some kind of white fish and shrimp. The Cioppino overflowed the dish it came in and we had to ask for another plate to hold the shells. There was enough left over of my wife’s dish that she made it her lunch the next day.

Service was a bit uneven. The waiter must have been new as he was unfamiliar with some dishes. Also, we’d told him the artichoke would be shared. When it arrived we asked if the kitchen could cut it. He responded that it was so tender that wouldn’t be necessary; we could easily do it ourselves. On the other hand the woman who bussed the tables was around frequently and was alert to our needs; she didn’t need prompting to refill glasses or clear away empty plates.

This time we skipped dessert, but two people had coffee. As we had more food than before the total cost this time was about $36/head.

I now feel better now about the place than the first time and would return. Trattoria Valle D’Itria is capable of providing good meals in pleasant surroundings at a reasonable price. Based on the number of people I’ve seen there, many in the neighborhood agree.