Imaginative Italian fare in an unlikely locale

Juliano's

by Margaret LeRoux

Juliano's 135 Westborough Road (Route 30) North Grafton (508) 839-5888 Hours Tues.-Sat 4-10 p.m. Sunday jazz brunch 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Full bar Major credit cards Handicapp accessible

A friend and I stumbled onto a real find recently; interesting and imaginative Italian food served in a warm, inviting, dining room; generously poured glasses of wine accompanied by the dramatic sounds of operatic arias in the background. Juliano's is the kind of place that's ubiquitous in cities like Boston or Providence, but here in Central Massachusetts, it's unique. Especially when I tell you the location -- on Route 30 in North Grafton.

Lucky are the faculty and students at Tufts Veterinary School, as well as commuters to Boston. Juliano's is just down the road from the campus and the new train station. The restaurant occupies the former Grafton Crossing, which re-opened in February under the new ownership of chef Robert Cardoos, who runs a restaurant and catering company in Natick.

Juliano's is a lot more upscale than its predecessor in North Grafton. The place has been redecorated with terra cotta-colored walls and a pretty mural that makes you feel like you're dining on a hilltop overlooking Tuscany. The dozen and a half tables are covered in snowy white cloths and the service plates are fancy in their woven gold pattern. Water glasses are big goblets etched with grapes and rimmed with gold. The two of us arrived casually dressed and primed for a pizza from the wood fired oven -- a former specialty that is still offered. So did a lot of the other diners, it seems. Most of them were in jeans and sneakers, making an odd sort of tableau: what's wrong with this picture?

The two of us switched gears immediately after glancing at the menu and sampling from the basket of hot bread that was immediately brought to our table by none other than chef Robert himself. In his chef's toque and wearing several cooking medallions, he kept a close watch on the room as he delivered bread to the tables. Juliano's complimentary bread is the same dough used for its pizzas, baked in the wood- fired brick oven, nicely grilled on the bottom and served with a dish of herbed olive oil. Watch out, this bread is so good, it's tempting to fill up on it.

We chose melanzane capricciose ($6.95), an eggplant appetizer and were captivated by the colorful platter. In the spotlighted were curls of fried, purple-edged eggplant rolled around roasted red peppers, very thin slices -- shavings, almost -- of grilled young zucchini and summer squash, tangy marinated olives and a bed of lightly dressed salad greens It was a delight to look at as well as to eat. Other appetizer choices include: bruschetta ($6.50), fried calamari ($6.95); and sautéed portobello mushrooms ($6.95).

While we waited for our appetizer, we chose from Juliano's by-the-glass offerings of wine: a robust red Montepulciano ($4.25) and a French sparkling wine ($5.95). We thought they were both excellent. Our table gave us a good view of the busy pizza-making island near the front of the restaurant where a trio of cooks turned out dozens of pies. Eight different varieties are served in the dining room on pedestal platters and definitely worth a try. The namesake Juliano's pizza features roasted peppers, eggplant, fresh spinach and onion ($8.95 small; $13.95 large) and the Venezia is topped with fresh ricotta ad mozzarella cheese with fresh herbs and scallions ($6.95 small; $11.95 large); scampi has fresh baby shrimp, roasted garlic and broccoli ($9.95 small; $14.95 large).

There are about a half-dozen pastas offered, including gnocchi ($14.95) and lobster ravioli ($16.95). The night we dined one of the specials was pumpkin tortellini served with roasted red pepper cream sauce ($13.95). I chose another special, listed as vegetarian trumpets ($15.95), though it contained fresh sea scallops. The tri-colored pasta -- orange, green and white -- consisted of short, fat pieces curled to resemble the bell of a trumpet, mixed with slivers of carrot, escarole, and the scallops in a subtle garlic sauce topped with razor-thin slices of crispy fried leeks. An outstanding dish, both from the combination of flavors and colors. The size of this entrée was large enough to make another entire meal the next day.

My friend had a hard time deciding among grilled lamb ($19.95), roasted salmon ($15.95), and seafood risotto ($18.95). He finally settled on filet mignon, Tuscany style ($21.95), a generous filet topped with wild mushrooms in a rich brown sauce. A beautiful arrangement of lightly grilled veggies: broccoli, zucchini and roasted red peppers and crispy roasted red bliss potatoes accompanied the steak. It was a meat lover's dream.

For those looking for more familiar Italian dishes, Juliano's offers several standards including chicken piccata ($16.95); veal marsala ($18.95) and veal, chicken or eggplant Parmesan ($16.95 for the veal; $14.95 for chicken and eggplant).

The dessert offerings include tiramisu, cheesecake and gelato, but we had no room. Even if you don't order dessert, Juliano's doesn't let you get away without a sweet. When the bill is delivered, the tray includes foil wrapped, imported chocolates, a classy touch that sweetened the memory of an unexpected fine dining experience. Our bill including tax but not tip was $56.75.

Margaret LeRoux can be reached at feedmefeedback@hotmail.com.

Margaret LeRoux can be reached at feedmefeedback@hotmail.com.