Bone Appétit

Not that my sea bass was any slacker. Firm, moist and procured through Bob's Seafood in the University City Loop, the fish was baked in parchment paper with garlic butter, lemon wedges and two crossed asparagus stalks, then served on a bed of perfect risotto. I was looking forward to having the steaming packet opened for me tableside, as the menu promised, because there's nothing more pleasing than that first burst of puffy, heady aroma filling your nostrils. But alas, it came already opened, still deliciously fragrant but as deflating as finding out about your own surprise birthday party.

The wine list is understandably heavy on Italian varieties -- 38 in all -- with lots of Tucsans and Piedmonts. There's also a large assortment of cabernet, sauvignon blanc, merlot, pinot noir, zinfandel and chardonnay, numbering about 45 bottles. Wines by the glass will run you between $6 and $12 and are poured at the table. I found the servers knowledgeable about the selections and attentive to the vintages.

After that amazing osso buco, I was looking forward to the poached-pear dessert that I had heard about, but it was not available that evening. Instead, I opted for the apple financier, which is served with swirls of luscious caramel and topped with a big scoop of cinnamon ice cream. All the quality desserts are prepared off-site by the one-man operation Elite Desserts. We found both the carrot cake and the Amaretto-espresso-chocolate cheesecake (both $6.50) moist and fresh-tasting, devoid of any refrigerator staleness.

It would be easy for restaurateurs to open a big, splashy restaurant in west county, cater to the beautiful people and milk them of their cash without providing much substance. I left Villa Farotto feeling not only comfortably satisfied but pleased that owners who sank that much money into a restaurant's design and construction also put equal effort into its food and wine.