Café OK

Checking out G-Ho's Roberto Café.

by Drew Lazor

G-Ho residents love them some eating out — the neighborhood's BYOs, pubs and coffee shops enjoy a constant influx of diners. Good for business, bad for us indecisive types: With so many packed houses, it's hard to pinpoint the truly superior spots.

Just passing Roberto Café, the 'hood's six-month-old Italian trattoria, serves as something of an endorsement: Most nights, the 30-seater is full up with affluent, bespectacled office types who probably give Food & Wine subscriptions as gifts. That many pasta twirlers can't be wrong. Right?

On the evening of our visit, the sharply dressed host chatted with customers, a wine key tucked into his trousers. A trio of diners chuckled and guffawed nearby, a small army of empty bottles crowded like bowling pins at the end of their table. You don't have to be a regular to realize that the dining area, while small, is seriously romantic; the restaurant's rustic walls and pretty wood paneling create the illusion of dining inside a temperature-controlled hearth.

First up was the refreshing insalata scoglio, neatly dressed in olive oil and lemon juice and served on a charming fish-shaped plate. Diced red bell pepper, celery and parsley lent a crunch to the chilled melange of squid, scallops, mussels, clams and shrimp. We also tried the cozzo e vongolo, a combination of Prince Edward Island mussels and clams in a white wine broth. Both mollusks were steamed perfectly; the broth, however, was oversalted, distracting from the roasted garlic flavor.

For an entree, I tried fusilli al granghio, plump spiral pasta and jumbo lump crabmeat in a light pink cream sauce. The kitchen can't be accused of skimping on the seafood — even the most haphazard stab produced fork-straining helpings of succulent crab. But it was unclear if the sauce's "light" description referred to its color or consistency (it applied to neither). The flavor was there, but the sheer weight made it difficult to work through. It would've been better if they'd nixed the cream and served it in a marinara instead.

The veal saltimbocca (medallions sauteed in garlic and white wine and finished with blankets of prosciutto and fresh sage) was better, but only on the strength of the supple veal, its flavor overriding the slight pastiness of the sage leaves. The side of slow-boiled potatoes seemed out of place.

Espresso and dessert (a solid cinnamon-dusted cannoli and tiramisu) was delivered with a lemon liqueur. Roberto's digestif game is strong.

It's anyone's guess as to what fills all these seats. The aesthetics are inviting; the staff is accomodating. But Roberto's needs to get over the 12-month hump before the food matches the mood.

(drew.lazor@citypaper.net)

Roberto Café

2108 South St., 215-545-0793

Lunch: Mon.-Fri., 11:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Dinner: Mon.-Thu., 4:30-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 4:30-11 p.m.; Sun., 4-9 p.m.

Appetizers, $8-$9; entrees, $14-$25.

BYOB. No reservations. Cash only.