Lunetta

I'm a semi-regular at Bar Stuzzichini, but tonight I decided to try Lunetta, another Italian restaurant a block away in the former Mayrose Diner. (Both restaurants serve a personal favorite: fried artichokes.) I met a favorite dining partner; we ended up being alternately delighted and disappointed with our various choices.

The meal began fortuitously; we had the aforementioned fried artichokes, which were really wonderful. Four delicately crispy artichoke halves were served with fried rosemary and sage, and a lemon slice (no herbs at Stuzzichini). "Artichokes are the most crustaceanly of veggies, aren't they?" I pondered. Next was a salad of baby greens, lightly dressed with anchovy vinaigrette. "Just the right amount of anchovy!" exclaimed my friend. (Stuzzichini serves a much sharper-tasting chicory salad with anchovy dressing; I quite like it as well.)

My friend's linguine with eight Wellfleet clams and roasted garlic was terrific - the pasta was livened up with a bit of hot pepper. I ordered the Monday special: spinach malfatti with brown butter and sage in a tomato sauce. I realize this is a rich dish, but I was expecting something like the ricotta malfatti at Al Di La. The Lunetta rendition consisted of five leaden packets of butter-laden spinach; I couldn't finish the dish.

Dessert was also a mixed bag. A blood orange panna cotta suffered from an overwhelming excess of vanilla, but contained no blood oranges. "Out of season," explained our excellent, helpful waiter. "Would you like something else?" "How about the strawberry-rhubarb crostata and chocolate torte?" "Sure thing," he said, and these two desserts were a perfect ending. The crostata sported a light buttery crust and lots of summer fruit, while the warm chocolate cake was deep and rich and topped with curlicues of candied orange peel.

Lunetta: 920 Broadway, (212) 533-3663 and 116 Smith St., Brooklyn, (718) 488-6269. Restaurant week continues through August 29.