La Vecchia Trattoria

New taste of the Old World

by Jim Johnson

19 Wall Street, Worcester
798-9025
Tues.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Major credit cards
BYOB
Not handicap accessible (no restroom handrails)

The last time I enjoyed Brad Jarvis's creative cuisine was two years ago, when he led the kitchen at O'Flaherty's. I'm delighted to see he continues to excel as chef and owner of La Vecchia Trattoria. In the cozy Wall Street storefront where Caffe Espresso once hid some of the best Italian cooking in town, Jarvis now succeeds at recreating specialties he enjoyed when traveling Tuscany and the Italian Riviera and Piedmont regions. (His résumé also includes stints at the Castle -- "where I learned the importance of service" -- at the Col. Isaac Barre Inn and, most recently, as district manager for Bruegger's Bakery.)

"I'm trying to remain as authentic as possible to Northern Italian cuisine," Jarvis told me after a recent visit. "We're not a spaghetti-and-meatballs kind of place."

Indeed, the closest entrée you'll find to spaghetti and meatballs is linguini ($9.95) tossed with fresh pear, gorgonzola cheese, and toasted walnuts. More typical is seafood fra diavolo ($12.95), with fresh seafood in spicy tomato sauce served over linguini, or shrimp scampi ($13.95), sauteed with garlic, shallots, mushrooms, white wine, and lemon juice and finished with butter.

The trattoria's most popular dish is veal saltimbocca ($13.95), layered with prosciutto ham, sage, and mozzarella cheese. A close second is the chicken franciscan ($12.95) sauteed with a melange of shallots, capers, sundried tomato, and red pepper in a white-wine butter sauce. Seafood lovers can easily be tempted by the swordfish tepenada (market price), grilled swordfish served with a mixture chopped roasted red pepper, capers, black olives, and ground anchovy and topped with fried onions.

With prices ranging from $9.95 to $13.95, La Vecchia Trattoria keeps exciting dishes affordable. And, with only 10 entrees on the menu, the kitchen is able to concentrate on doing a few things right rather than attempting less successful executions of broader choices.

During my visit, two friends joined me for what turned out to be a relaxing, cordial evening of fine dining. The service was prompt, well-paced, attentive, and friendly. The setting, which Jarvis calls "casually elegant," was warm: oil lamps on each table, walls of white stucco and stained pine, crimson table linens, and quiet Italian music. No smoking is allowed.

Although a wine and beer license may come in the future, we had to fetch our own wine for the evening. Our server opened the bottle and poured it for us. As we toasted the end of the workday, our server returned with a basket of fresh, warm Italian bread, which one tablemate endorsed as "the real stuff."

Although we were tempted by the baked brie and garlic, we were drawn to steamed mussels, grilled artichoke, and fresh mozzarella (each $4.95). The mussels were sweet and tender in a fragrant, herbed broth of beer and tomatoes. Likewise, the mozzarella was fresh, mild, and moist, served with sliced tomatoes and a sprinkling of basil.

Although we found the artichoke a bit tough, we still enjoyed dipping its leaves into a sensuously warm balsamic vinaigrette. In a case of food imitating life, a tender heart made up for the tough exterior.

One tablemate ordered Jarvis's "star" entree, the veal saltimbocca. She was delighted. The thin scallops of meat had been dredged in flour and served in a veritable cushion of prosciutto and gooey mozzarella. Sage added an unusual fragrance that helped bring out the full flavor of the veal. The dish was bathed in a rich brown sauce, its thick, meaty flavor cut by the slight tartness of white wine.

The chicken parmigiana ($10.95) transcended the expected. A thick but tender slice of chicken breast wasn't just topped with rich parmesan cheese; it was fully wrapped in it and then glazed with mild mozzarella browned and crusty on the top. Every forkful carried moist chicken, multiple layers of cheese, and marinara sauce spiked with plenty of oregano.

I ordered the zuppa di pesce ($13.95), which I felt was slightly overpriced for the quantity of food. I received two each of mussels, littlenecks, and jumbo shrimp, as well as chunks of haddock. All were tender and tasty, thanks in great part to a rich saffron and tomato broth.

All entrées came with linguini and fresh, firm slices of summer squash and zucchini.

After receiving authentic cappuccino with foam puffing over the brim, we viewed the dessert platter. The Black Forest cheesecake was wonderfully rich, with clumps of baked in cherries and with a thin crust of buttery Oreo crumbs. The créme brulee was cool, eggy, and smooth and topped with a caramelized sugar crust. If my notes are right, one tablemate tasted my ricotta pie and called it "a big camel." I think I actually wrote "a big cannoli." Indeed, the filling was slightly sweet, lightly whipped ricotta cheese. (I only recently learned that ricotta is not technically cheese at all, but rather a cheese byproduct, most often made from the whey drained off from making other mild cheeses.) Camel or cannoli, it was the best of the bunch.

Plan on $17 to $22 per person (about half that for lunch) -- and on a great evening out.