Pane E Vino
365 Atwells Ave.
Providence
by Bob Mariani
Inside Pane e Vino on a bright, sunny evening in May, the light seems to bring the warm Mediterranean colors to life. It’s only 6:30 and the place is nearly full and everyone’s enjoying themselves as the voices of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Ella Fitzgerald on the sound system complete the picture.
One look at the menu tells me there will be no odd-ball concoctions or gussied up entrees here. This is Italian food as it’s meant to be— honest, straight forward and fresh. They state as much on their web site: "We create all of our cuisine with a high respect for the longstanding and highly admired traditions of Italian regional cooking." And by "regional," they mean mostly Neopolitan with a few ventures just a bit further north.
I begin with their Escarola con Fagioli ($7.95), a mild, spring-y mixture of soft tan cannelini beans on wilted escarole leaves with chips of pancetta ham piled onto slices of wonderfully chewy Italian bread (from the famous Seven Stars Bakery on the East Side). With a sprinkling of parmigiano cheese, it’s an excellent beginning.
My wife had one of the evening’s specials: buffalo mozz-erella with sliced tomatoes and a fragrant sprig of basil. I usually wait until mid-July for really great tomatoes, but these were surprisingly flavorful and juicy. Sprinkled with extra virgin olive oil they were the perfect taste to usher in the season.
From the section of the menu called "Carne, Pesce, Eccetera", I chose the Costoletta dio Vitello ($28.95), a large grilled veal chop accompanied by a very fine parmigiano risotto and finished with a woodsy roasted mushroom demi glace. The veal was tender and loaded with flavor; but it was the creamy-rich risotto that had me really rolling my eyes with pleasure. There were also some freshly grilled asparagus spears to balance off this carnivore’s delight.
Jan had the Vitello al Limone con Carciofi ($21.95), which is Pane e Vino’s superb version of the classic veal scaloppine. This one came with tender artichoke hearts and leaves, sautéed simply in a delicate lemon and white wine sauce. The accompanying veggies were some crisply sautéed string beans and some creamy/cheese-infused mashed potatoes that were almost as good as my risotto.
Other antipasti dishes I can’t wait to return for are Pane e Vino’s Bruschetta con Salsiccia e Pomodori ($7.95)—grilled country bread topped with sautéed sweet Italian sausage, cannellini beans and fresh tomato; their Scamorza Affumicata alla Griglia ($7.95) — grilled Neapolitan smoked scamorza cheese over a light San Mazano tomato sauce; and their Bresaola con Ruchetta ($8.95) — dry cured center cut beef tenderloin sliced thin over peppery greens with shaved Grana Padano cheese.
Back in the entrée department, there’s Pollo ai Funghi Arostiti ($15.95)— chicken breast pan-sauteed with roasted mushrooms in a Madeira demi glace over mashed potatoes; the Zuppa di Pesch ($29.95), with a whole pound-and-a-half lobster; and their Malale alla Giglia ($18.95)—a grilled, double-rib pork chop with a garlic, pickled peppers and white wine sauce.
I’m already over my word count here and I haven’t even included their pasta dishes yet. Pane e Vino’s list of Farinacei includes linguine all Putanesca ($13.95), with olives, capers and anchovies; Polenta e Salsiccia ($13.95), with grilled sausage and a rich tomato ragu; Gnocchi alla Sorrentina ($16.96), with fresh buffalo mozzarella; and the Spaghettini with little necks ($16.95).
For dessert I had some intensely flavorful hazelnut gelato ($5.50) and Jan had their amazingly light and crumbly crème fraiche cheesecake ($7).
There is also an intriguing Trattoria Menu for $21 per person available everyday except Saturdays until 7pm. Hours are: Monday-Thursday 5 -10 p.m. Friday/Saturday 5-11 p.m. Sunday 4-8 p.m. For more information, call 223-2230 or visit
www.panevino.net.Bob Mariani is a Southeastern New England freelance author. Besides his "Your Table is Ready" restaurant reviews found here, he also writes jazz articles on allaboutjazz.com.
