by Susan Bryan
Dario's serves no-nonsense Italian comfort food. Its menu rarely deviates from familiar standbys like linguine al pesto, fettuccine Alfredo and ravioli with meat sauce. You'll find none of the wild experiments that go on in nuova cucina restaurants. And none of the raucous hustle-bustle that passes as atmosphere in those trendy eateries. Dario's is quiet and calming, with the simple fresh flowers and white tablecloths you'd expect from a pleasant neighborhood trattoria. Whether you eat inside or out, you'll get excellent service. The staff operates on the cooperative European model rather than America's every-man-for-himself style. The server who takes your order may not bring your dish. Still another might rush up with fresh Parmesan to grate over your steaming pasta. The change-offs occur so spontaneously that you never feel overwhelmed or fussed-over, just quickly served.
Before you've finished scanning the menu, homemade focaccia arrives under a folded napkin that keeps the herbed flat bread deliciously warm. The olive-oil dipping sauce that comes with the bread is seasoned with tart balsamic vinegar, garlic and chopped basil. But the bread is great on its own.
It's easy to fill up on extras at Dario's before you begin your meal. Hearty entrees like traditional veal medallions alla Romana and chicken breast Parmigiana come with soup or salad. The soup is a big bowl of thin minestrone broth full of chunky fresh vegetables. The house salad is lightly dressed with a creamy Caesar-like dressing that turns a plate of green leafies into a rich appetizer.
Pastas come with old-fashioned cream or tomato-based sauces and range in price from simple cappellini Napoletana ($7 lunch, $8 dinner) to linguine pescatore with clams, mussels, calamari, prawns and salmon ($11 lunch, $13 dinner). Pasta specials can run up to $15. My thick, tomato-based risotto with chewy calamari, whitefish, salmon, mussels and clams topped off that price list.
There's a serious heaviness to all the food here. The cheese-filled tortellini that I tried were advertised with a "light herb cream sauce." Yet the sauce was thick and positively sweet, as well as heavy on the nutmeg ($8 lunch, $10 dinner). And I was disappointed that the dish's promised "shrimp" turned out to be exactly two.
On the entree side of the menu, grilled rack of lamb is the most expensive item at $14. The rather simple eggplant special I ordered came in at $12. The plate was brimful of food. But the supposedly special ground beef topping gained nothing but high cholesterol from the addition of rich, bland mascarpone cheese.
My favorite item on Dario's menu is neither a pasta nor an entree but a simple appetizer of steamed clams. The tiny shelled meats crowd a light white wine sauce that's flecked with red peppers and chopped shallots. If you like seafood, you can't go wrong with these delicately prepared shellfish.
Dario's regulars also praise the salads on the menu. There's an Italian version of California's native Caesar that you can order topped with grilled chicken or jumbo prawns (plain $5, chicken $6, shrimp $7). And there's also a bountiful spinach salad that's smothered in hot mushrooms ($5).
At lunchtime, when Dario's fills up with lawyers from the San Mateo County Courthouse, you can also get an Italian-style sandwich on homemade focaccia. For $5, you can get the flat bread stuffed with mozzarella cheese, grilled chicken or veggies. For true carnivores, there are also grilled steak and grilled sausage versions ($7 steak, $5 sausage).
Dario's has a dessert menu that lists spumoni, amaretto cake, chocolate mousse and tiramisu ($3-$3.50). But the portions at this cafe are so large--and the focaccia so good--that I never made it to a sweet finale.
If the desserts are anything like the rest of the menu, you can expect exactly what the chef's mamma served him back in Tuscany. No flamboyant liberties taken. Just a generous serving of down-home Italian comfort food.
Dario's Cafe Italian Ristorante, 2415 Broadway, Redwood City, 366-3616
Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
Atmosphere: Calming neighborhood trattoria, quick friendly service
Highlights: Homemade focaccia, steamed clams reservations: yes
credit cards: yes
parking: no
Beer and wine only: yes
takeout: yes
banquet: yes
wheelchair access: yes
non-smoking: yes
highchairs: yes
outdoor seating: yes
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