Fine Dining	How Sweet It Is by Patricia Watson

If you want to eat Italian food in Buffalo, sooner or later you are going to wind up on Hertel Avenue. The street is dotted with trattorias, ristorantes and cafes offering their own takes on what seems to be the quintessential Queen City comfort food. One little gem is La Dolce Vita.

The entrance to the restaurant is through a brightly lit takeout/bakery space, with the kitchen in the back and the in-house dining area in another room on the left. There are tables along the wall and in a chain down the middle. We were seated at one of the center tables. If you’re trying to watch your weight, I recommend this spot: Terri’s workout space is directly across the street, providing an in-your -ace reminder of the wages of overeating.

The restaurant serves wine and beer. There is a moderately priced wine list, and the menu suggests pairings of wine with its entrees. We started with Chianti and an Altanuta Pinot Grigio ($6). Appetizers on the regular menu include an antipasto for $11.95 and sfogliatelle di spinace (filo dough filled with spinach, red peppers and mozzarella with a combination of pesto cream and red pepper couli sauce) for $8.95. We chose a special of the evening, beans and greens with roasted scallops ($10.95) as well as the stuffed hot banana peppers ($8.95). The beans and greens were cooked in wine to garlicky perfection. Little browned scallops speckled the top of the dish, and were good but superfluous. The stuffed peppers were open on the plate and loaded with topping—blue cheese, feta and tomato sauce. Missy and I both thought the lily had been over-gilded. A more simple presentation—serving the tomato sauce as an accompaniment and perhaps omitting the gorgonzola might more effectively highlight the appetizer’s essence.

Since it was the first Friday of Lent, one of the evening’s specials was pasta con sarde ($15.95)—Missy’s choice. I had seen another patron’s filetto (filet of sirloin with a mushroom ragu and gorgonzola crumble over onion risotto, $24.95) go by. It looked so scrumptious, I had to order it. I was not disappointed. The meat was cooked to a precise medium-rare, crisp on the outside and tender inside. The risotto with crunchy onions complemented it nicely, though cooking the onions to a caramelized state would have been a great touch. Missy loved her fettuccine, which included the sardines as well as onions, anchovies, pine nuts and raisins. The sweet-salty combination was in complete balance, and was exactly what she wanted. Both entrees came with a fresh green salad.

Salmon con pistachio: filet of salmon encrusted with pistachios, with a raspberry couli. Served with sweet mashed potatoes and spinach. (photo: Rose Mattery)

The portions are generous; you can be sure you will have another good meal the next day. In fact, we had leftovers from every course, resulting in a stack of plastic-wrapped styrofoam containers on our table. Other entrees we will return to sample include petto di pollo (chicken with portobellos, onions, sundried tomatoes in a light chardonnay chevre sauce over risotto, $16.95) and filetto di maiale (pork tenderloin in apple brandy with apples, raisins, pine nuts over mashed sweet potatoes and spinach, $17.95). The woman at the table next to us raved about it.

Desserts are made by Sweet Tooth. That evening, a lemon custard cake and a checkerboard cake were on the menu for $4.95. Both were good. But the question we had is, how do you make a cake look like a checkerboard? Gelato, bought from Dolci on Elmwood, is also available.

The owner of La Dolce Vita, Ross Runfola, Jr., purchased what had been his favorite restaurant, two years ago. In the morning he serves espresso, cappuccino, lattes and European teas. Soup, salads, paninis and pizzas are served from 11am to 4pm. We strongly urged Mr. Runfola to put those beans and greens on the lunchtime menu. If they do appear, be sure and try them. The restaurant boasts no fryer, foods are sautéed or baked. The chef, Sean Miller, is 21 years old, having begun his culinary career at age 14 at the late Park Lane. He can cook. In the summer, enjoy your meal outdoors on the patio on Hertel Avenue. Takeout and banquet services are available.

—patricia watson