Viva Vinino

Though the food isn't as rewarding as at Lidia's, just nine blocks south, or as lustily hearty as at Mike Garozzo's place, eight blocks to the north, three of my fussiest friends agreed that executive chef Jeff Heyde and consulting chef Marshall Roth have created an appealing assortment of bocconcini, salads, soups and pizza. When Ned, Carmen, Sarah and I went to Vinino for dinner (we paid for valet parking, and it was worth it), we didn't order any of the baked pastas because the less-traditional choices sounded a lot more enticing.

We were impressed with the grilled calamari, served cold and tossed in an arugula pesto that needed a little more kick — something like the punch delivered by "angry" prawns chilled in a fiery peppery oil, mint and dill.

"The herbs are really, really fresh," said Carmen, who nearly fought with me over the last slice of excellent tuna crudo — raw fish seasoned with sea salt, shaved fennel and grilled orange.

We'd also composed a bruschetta, which is a build-your-own affair here. Ours worked well: focaccia crisps slathered with goat cheese, artichoke, chopped tomatoes and basil. And I loved the Vinino take on a Caprese salad: a hollowed-out fresh tomato stuffed with milky mozzarella.

We shared a few other salads. The pickled-beet number with pine nuts, warm goat cheese and spicy arugula, splashed with a sassy shallot vinaigrette, was the most elegant use of the lowly beet I'd ever seen. I wasn't so crazy for the hunk of romaine presented "Caesar style," which was too clever for its own good.

The pizza, however, was lovely, with papery crusts and imaginative toppings. I fell in love with the one scattered with tissue-thin slices of salty pink prosciutto, amber-roasted pears and goat cheese — it was a truly sensual spin on a traditional dish.

For dessert, we shared a satiny panna cotta, served in a martini glass with a squiggle of golden spun sugar, and a very stylish tiramisu.

Looking around the room, Carmen sniffed that the place was "very corporate."

"I love it," Ned announced after finishing his espresso. "The food is very good, and the waitstaff look like they came from the cast of Rent — young and slightly depraved."

That's a compliment, even though the idea might worry a Johnson Countian or two. But not as much as the prospect of parking downtown.