A truffle you can’t refuse

If you happen to drive south on Meridian Street heading out of downtown, you’ll soon find yourself passing through tidy, tree-lined neighborhoods that seem almost a slice of yesteryear. Immune to the intrusion of corporate chains on nearby highways, this little sliver of the city is the province of locally-owned watering holes and quaint storefront eateries that, not surprisingly, have fiercely loyal clienteles.

The salmon picatta ($13.95) at Vito Provolone's.

Reminiscent of a kind of innocent, mid-century approach to taverns and family restaurants, their colorful signs announce such establishments as Oliver’s Eatery, Boyden’s Bakery, the Thirsty Turtle and Bynum’s Steakhouse, where a couple of “cattle” grazing out front make it clear just what diners are getting themselves into.

A little farther south is an unassuming Italian trattoria tucked away in an equally inconspicuous strip mall. While you may not have heard of Vito Provolone’s, it’s been serving up rich and hearty pastas, steaks and salads for almost 13 years. It’s the kind of place I wondered about but never really took it upon myself to try out until several readers recommended it. But a meal here is more evidence you can find a respectable independent Italian restaurant, pizzeria or takeout in just about every corner of this sprawling metropolis.

Inside Vito’s, two dining rooms separated by rustic brick walls help keep diners from overhearing each other — and remembering they’re in a strip mall. Wrought-iron wine racks just above the tables display the available vintages. A few more bricks peeking through stucco and plaster walls add a sort of old world character to the place. In the background drift such familiar melodies as “Love Me Tender” and “I Can’t Help Falling in Love,” arranged for cello and harp. Dean Martin might start crooning “Volare” at any minute. Ward and June might be bringing the clan in for a weeknight supper.

Our no-nonsense but attentive waitress was happy to make recommendations, and she suggested we start with the stuffed mushrooms ($5.95). More a bed of button mushrooms topped with spinach and well-browned cheese, this was a rich starter you could almost make a meal out of with a side salad and a glass of Chianti. In terms of wine, the list was quite brief and standard, but prices by the glass are fair, mostly under $5, and some quite potable. Reds include a Rancho Zabaco zinfandel and a Ruffino Chianti.

As with most old-school Italian eateries, a cup of soup or a house salad, as well as buttery, soft garlic bread, come gratis with the entrées. The minestrone had a hearty, well-seasoned tomato base with just a few white beans and bits of celery. This was a nice change from minestrones which can sometimes be top heavy with mixed vegetables. A side salad was a simple pile of greens with plenty of cheese — provolone? — and a few crisp veggies. About half of the salad dressings, marked on the menu with a star, are homemade, and the honey-mustard poppy-seed was a much lighter version of the classic with a sweet tang.

While the menu is small, our choice of entrées caused a bit of consternation — would pasta or seafood or chicken demonstrate the kitchen’s muster? Our waitress steered us to the salmon picatta ($13.95), a nightly dish that’s not actually on the menu, and the chicken Giovanni ($14.95), which she said was her favorite.

The salmon offered a quite healthy portion of well-done salmon in a lemon sauce with capers over angel hair pasta. While the sauce was subtle, the lemon made a classic and piquant glaze for the mild salmon. The chicken, on the other hand, was as heavy as it gets, with tender strips of chicken and bits of Italian sausage in a liberal dousing of a tomato cream sauce over the same delicate pasta. While tasty, less sauce would have made the other elements shine, and a heartier pasta might have stood up to the sauce a bit more.

Unfortunately, none of the short selection of desserts are prepared in house, but the chocolate tartufo ($2.95), truffle in Italian, is worth driving to the city’s edge just for a bit of this decadent confection. A tennis-ball-sized scoop of deeply chocolate gelato comes with a surprising center of cream filling and a thick dusting of cocoa powder and crushed hazelnuts. Bravissimo!

In keeping with its locale, Vito’s cultivates a decidedly casual atmosphere, and several local teens stopped in to chat with the hostesses and wait staff and get a quick dinner. You don’t stay in business as long as Vito’s has unless you welcome the whole family. Nearly everything about the place, especially the fact that it’s non-smoking, made us feel at home. The owners of Vito’s also run nearby Pasquale’s Pizza in Greenwood, making sure Southsiders are well-fed with Italian favorites. Whether or not this is what the food is like in Tuscany or Venice, the way they do it on South Meridian is loaded with comfort and charm.

Vito Provolone’s
8031 S. Meridian St.
888-1112

HOURS
Monday-Thursday: 4 to 10 p.m.
Friday-Saturday: 4 to 11 p.m.
Sunday: 4 to 9 p.m.

Food : 3 Stars
Atmosphere : 3 Stars
Service : 4 Stars