Italian may be Pittsburgh (and the nation's) favorite cuisine, as easy to find as a Steelers jersey, but Vivo offers an experience that is difficult to duplicate. The restaurant is truly a family affair. Sam DiBattista cooks; his wife, Lori, manages the business end, the front of house, and makes the desserts. Their daughter Danina is the primary server, and her relaxed yet polished service is instrumental to the restaurant's continued success.

DiBattista wants dining at Vivo to feel like "an organic situation... I just want people to sit down and relax." As part of the effort to make the diner feel connected to the restaurant, the menu is entirely oral. Appetizers and desserts are a la carte; entrees include the house pasta -- Barilla campanelle with a straightforward tomato sauce that perfectly balances sweet and tart -- and a small green salad, garnished at the moment with a couple of grape tomatoes. A daily selection of room-temperature vegetables accompanies the entrees.

A typical menu includes five or six appetizers, notable for their unfussy presentations and a lush use of luxury ingredients. Thinly sliced pecorino was dotted with 100-year-old balsamic vinegar that had become as sweet and thick as molasses, taming the salty intensity of the cheese ($10). A beef carpaccio with black truffles was beyond decadent. The beef slices were almost 1/4-inch thick, and the rich flavor and slightly chewy texture of the meat brought an impressive balance to a dish that otherwise would have been overwhelmed by the earthy intensity of the truffles.

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Vivo

2 1/2 stars = Very good+
Ratings explained

565 Lincoln Ave.
Bellevue
412-761-9500
www.friendsofvivo.com

• Hours: Wed.-Sat., first seating at 5:30 p.m., last seating at 9:30 p.m.
• Basics: Italian-focused with the occasional fusion influence. A welcoming, attractive dining room and friendly, efficient service help make Vivo worth the drive and the prices.
• Recommended Dishes: Mushrooms with Shropshire blue, beef carpaccio with black truffles, scallops, veal chop, bronzino, beef tenderloin, pistachio ice cream, fruit tart.
• Prices: Appetizers, $10; entrees, including pasta and salad course, $30-$38; desserts, $6.
• Summary: No wheelchair accessible restroom; nonsmoking; park on street or in nearby city lots; credit cards accepted; reservations strongly encouraged; BYOB, $5 corkage.
• Noise level: Low to medium-loud.

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Dishes with humbler components were no less delicious. I loved the way slices of pear had been wrapped in prosciutto and grilled, leaving the pear warmed through but still crunchy ($10). The fruit's sweetness helped temper the saltiness of the prosciutto, and the smooth richness of ricotta cheese rounded out the perfect mouthful. Oysters and shitake mushrooms ($10) had been so gently sauteed they retained their shape, yet were wonderfully tender. It suddenly occurred to me how often mushrooms are overcooked. On one visit, they were garnished simply with Shropshire blue cheese. On another, chorizo and Shropshire blue lent the dish a Spanish inflection.

A few appetizers would benefit from rethinking. Grilled octopus was very tender with a lovely hint of smokiness; unfortunately, they were served on a bed of caper pesto that was overwhelmingly salty, rendering the dish practically inedible. Beef and pancetta skewers came with a fabulous mole sauce, but pancetta is really too salty and too chewy to be eaten in such large chunks.

The entree list is dominated by substantial cuts of meat (lamb, beef and veal are always on the menu) rounded out with a few types of seafood. These selections are a bit repetitive. There are many cuts of meat beside chops and tenderloins, and many cooking methods besides grilling, by far the most common method on the menu. The rigid structure of the meal seems to be placing somewhat of a stranglehold on Chef DiBattista's creativity.

Some variety can be found in the bright, inventive sauces that dress up these straightforward choices and allow DiBattista to incorporate some elements of seasonality. A zingy dried cherry and pink peppercorn sauce showcased the richness of dry-aged beef tenderloin ($38). A veal chop ($38) -- perfectly cooked to a medium-doneness, properly rested and still warm -- was transported from rich to insanely decadent by a smear of fig compote topped with a slice of St. Andre triple creme cheese, which is similar to brie but with a cleaner, less "stinky" richness. This was a dish to linger over.

The few missteps stood out primarily because other dishes were so well executed. A pork chop was overcooked, and lamb rib chops ($34) came with an artichoke hummus that was nowhere near as good as the almost jam-like red wine and beet reduction that accompanied it on a previous visit.

Fish dishes fell into a similar range, with lovely dishes outnumbering duds. Scallops were perfectly cooked, their silky texture and intense sweetness intensified by a crunchy red cabbage slaw and a bit of apricot chutney ($30). Whole roasted bronzino ($32), fileted table-side, was stunning. Flavored simply with salt, olive oil and lemon, its flesh was incredibly moist and tender with astonishing flavor.

The vegetable side dishes didn't live up to the standards of the entrees. Cannelini beans with black rice was underseasoned and uninspired, as was a wild rice and lentil salad. Green beans had the stems left on. Sure, they're technically edible, but it's pretty lazy all the same.

Lightly cooked beets were more successful. Dressed simply with olive oil, salt and pepper, they tasted surprisingly like apples, while sauteed zucchini and squash were beautifully infused with the aroma and sweetness of roasted yellow and red bell peppers.

Desserts ($6) were also a little uneven. The high point was a superb apple, fig and apricot tart, but I wondered at the pedestrian flavors of some ice cream: Cookies and Cream? Heath Bar? Stick with the Pistachio -- slightly salty nuts only intensify the sweetness of the ice cream. Amaretto creme brulee was straightforward and creamy, but ricotta souffle was quite dry. Happily, La Prima espresso was consistently rich and warm with just the right amount of bitterness ($2).

DiBattista hopes that customers "feel like they're walking into someone's living room," and great effort is made to extend a warm welcome. DiBattista greets every single table after their entrees have been served, welcoming back regular customers and checking in on new ones.

Fortunately, the decor is more restaurant dining room than family living room. Marble-topped tables and substantial, if slightly fatigued, chairs help break up the wide, open room. One wall is decorated with an abundance of old family pictures, but the effect is stylized rather than homey. Warm red walls, pillars and bunches of herbs framing the large front window are all charmingly Italianate. My favorite touch is the lighting scheme: rows of light bulbs hang from thick black cords of varying lengths, casting a warm glow over the dining room.

Bellevue is dry, so Vivo is BYOB. When calling to reserve a table (reservations are strongly recommended and essential on weekends), you're likely to be reminded to bring wine to the meal, and the food pairs well with a wide variety of wines. Wine service is solid, but casual.

I enjoyed the restaurant most when it was busy. Some restaurants suffer from too-full dining rooms, but at Vivo, a crowd generates a pleasant hum of excitement. A Wednesday night dinner in an essentially deserted dining room became so awkward it didn't surprise me to later learn that after DiBattista offered his standard greeting, he suspected I was a critic. It hadn't occurred to me that Wednesdays brought in primarily regulars, drawing lots of extra attention to any table of newcomers. Fortunately, it was near the end of my second visit, and my impressions of Vivo were solidly in place and pleasant to recall.