Other options for this type of cuisine …
FULTON
Cibo e Beve
Chef Linda Harrell cooks authentic Italian dishes at this Sandy Springs restaurant from 101 Concepts. Start with a creamy burrata or the Tuscan kale and bean soup before indulging in pizzas, pastas or entrees like the veal osso buco. Dessert brings offerings such as classic tiramisu and butter pecan gelato pie. 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays, 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays, 5-11 p.m. Saturdays. 4969 Roswell Road N.E., Sandy Springs. 404-250-8988, www.ciboatlanta.com. $$-$$$
FULTON
La Tavola
La Tavola is the Italian outpost of Fifth Group Restaurants in the Virginia-Highland neighborhood. This trattoria, helmed by chef Brent Banda, formerly of the popular New York restaurant Maialino, serves classic Italian dishes. You’ll find menu items like squid ink linguine, veal saltimboca and Meyer lemon and olive oil cake. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5:30-10 p.m. Sundays, 5:30-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 5:30-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 992 Virginia Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-873-5430, www.latavolatrattoria.com. $$$
FULTON
Campania
This Neapolitan pizzeria in Alpharetta has become quite popular for its pizza pies made with double zero flour, San Marzano tomatoes and imported Italian meats. The restaurant boasts a wood-burning oven made by a master mason using bricks of volcanic soil. While pizza here is the main draw, Campania also serves antipasti, soups and salads. 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 800 N. Main St., Alpharetta. 770-559-4674, www.campaniaga.com.
$$
DI PAOLO
Overall rating: 2 of 5 stars
Food: Italian
Service: prompt and eager to be helpful
Best dishes: tagliatelle, pizzas, branzino, gelatos and sorbets
Vegetarian selections: salads, pizza
Price range: $$$-$$$$
Credit cards: All major credit cards
Hours: 5:30-9 p.m. Sundays, 5:30-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 5:30-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Children: few, if any
Parking: strip mall lot
Reservations: yes
Wheelchair access: yes
Smoking: no
Noise level: moderate to high
Patio: no
Takeout: yes
Address, phone: 8560 Holcomb Bridge Road, Alpharetta. 770-587-1051.
Website: www.dipaolorestaurant.com
If you drove by, you probably wouldn’t know it was there. You might notice the Goodwill store and perhaps the dance studio. You wouldn’t notice the upscale Italian restaurant in the same Holcomb Bridge strip mall.
But the locals know it’s there. They have been going to di Paolo since it opened in 1995. You can’t miss this band of boomers, some with their parents in tow and others with their golfing foursomes. They form a club of regulars who will notice even the slightest menu change.
Di Paolo’s core group appreciates a higher standard of service, a more interesting wine list, and Italian fare with a little more pizazz than the red-sauce standards they would find at a stuccoed, corner Italian outlet.
Chef Darin Hiebel, who took over di Paolo six years ago, runs a from-scratch kitchen that makes its own breads, pastas, sauces and gelato. Over time, regulars have learned just what to order to get a meal worth repeating next week. They’ll go for dishes like wood-fired pizzas, select entrees like gorgonzola-spinach-stuffed chicken ($21) and they have rooted out the pastas worth devouring. Those in the know have learned how to make di Paolo their weekly haunt, and the more they go, the more they adore it.
I can help you out with what to order if you aren’t a bona fide member of the regulars club. Thin-crust pizzas are generally a safe bet, and you’ll find that to be the case here. The thin — though not exactly crisp — crust is just weighty enough to support the cheese fest on the pizza con quattro formaggio ($13). Add extra oomph to the surprisingly greaseless pizza, featuring house-made mozzarella, fontina, asiago and tallegio, by topping it with the salty prosciutto (an additional $2) complete with crackled edges.
Try the branzino ($30), which the regulars order for good reason. Waiters may be hesitant to tell you it’s wrapped in caul fat, lest you be frightened off by mental images of the lacy membrane. But let me tell you that you’ll be thankful for that beautifully browned and crispy casing for the whole butterflied fish. It adds richness and protects the lemony moisture of the fennel-stuffed branzino.
Other favorites include the classic chicken ($21) and risotto ($22), neither inventive, but both well prepared. The airline chicken breast stuffed with gorgonzola and spinach comes in a brothy swirl with a vinegary eggplant caponata. Likewise, the creamy carnaroli-rice risotto, laced with mushrooms, truffle oil and grana, could top your weekly short list.
If you go for the handmade pastas, you’ll find some just right and others made with rather less finesse. I’d green-light the tagliatelle con sugo di carne ($14), one of the most satisfying options. The noodles may not give you the desired eggy, slip-and-slide mouth feel, but they are porous enough to adopt the meaty bolognese.
I found some of the other pastas thick and heavy, like the black-pepper pappardelle ($18), which is gray in both color and flavor. Same goes for the ravioli ($19), in which tender short rib bits battle their thick envelopes for taste-bud access. Better to order the short rib entree ($27) so you can enjoy the beef free of cover.
The dessert menu invites a little exploring. You could try the toasted marshmallow-flavored frozen chocolate creme brulee ($7), but I suspect regulars stick with the house-made gelatos and sorbets. Perhaps the goat cheese gelato? I took a more traditional (and successful) route, pairing the decadent chocolate gelato with the wonderfully sour lemon sorbet ($5). And if I hadn’t overindulged in the 2001 Eraldo Viberti barolo ($89), I might have tried the house limoncello ($7). Next time.
At a well-established spot like di Paolo, where neighborhood followers keep the tables full, it’s helpful to take cues from those who know and love it best. Once you’ve identified the best dishes, they just may let you join the club.
