Dino's

Mediterranean food with a pop kick -- California rolls and prosciutto with mango

by Johnette Rodriguez

1235 Wampanaog Trail, East Providence, 437-1178
Open Tues-Fri, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4:30-11 p.m.
Sat and Sun, 4:30-11 p.m.
Major credit cards
Sidewalk access

Tucked into a small plaza just off Route 114 South, Dino's Italian Restaurant has set up shop in a space originally designed for -- and formerly occupied by -- the Adesso Cafe, an offshoot of the chic and popular East Side spot.

As a result, the decor is trendy: walls pebbled with teal and purple display large abstract paintings, while the high ceilings are dominated by arbor-like track lights with grape-colored accents and by square columns topped with large purple balls. Italian with a pop kick.

A bit like the menu. Prosciutto with mango, not melon. Bruschetta with sage, not basil. And smack dab in the middle of the appetizers is, of all things, California rolls -- sushi with rice, scallions, and salmon.

Such eclecticism is woven throughout the entrées as well, but here the influence remains primarily Mediterranean -- pork chops with a port wine sauce, steak with a Dijon horseradish crust, and bouillabaisse in a saffron broth.

On the night we visited, we began with the roasted garlic and brie soup ($3.25) and a grilled pizza bianco ($7.95), with goat's cheese, caramelized onions, sage, and black pepper. The soup was delicious, with the mild chicken-stock base and diced celery playing nicely off the stronger-flavored brie and garlic. The pizza was a bit on the crispy side, but the onions and goat's cheese again made great contrasts in tone.

What's more, although the sage was nowhere to be tasted on the pizza, it was not missed among the other ingredients. But then, on a second visit, a pizza traditionale ($6.95) also lacked a promised herb -- fresh basil -- even though it, too, was generous in every other way, with succulent brown olives and fresh tomatoes.

And the Caesar salad ($5.95) we ordered on the second visit was super as well, the dressing thick and heavy with anchovies. Plus, we asked for -- and got -- more anchovies on the side! It was such a large portion, plenty for the two of us.

But back to that first meal. We followed the soup and pizza bianco with cannelloni with mixed mushrooms ($10.95) and the bouillabaisse ($14.95). Delicious!

The thick homemade cannelloni (similar to rolled-up crepes) were stuffed not only with chopped mushrooms but ricotta, Marsala, garlic, and herbs, and all of this was covered with tomato sauce. (We requested a marinara rather than "Dino's Bolognese.") It was a wonderful variation on cheese-stuffed pasta.

The bouillabaisse was heaped with mussels, clams, and shrimp in an excellent broth over sliced red bliss potatoes, while the grilled halibut perched in the middle of the pile provided a creative way to hang on to the flavors of each type of seafood without their becoming lost in the stew. Again, dill did not make an appearance, as the menu promised, but the dish was so tasty, it didn't matter.

What did matter, though, was another kind of promise implicit in the contract between diners and chefs: timing. On our first visit, we waited 10 to 15 minutes between courses, and on the second, also a Tuesday night with perhaps five of the nine tables in the non-smoking area occupied, we heard two perplexed diners ask, "Where is our soup?" I noticed others waiting patiently for anything other than bread after ordering their meal.

In southern climes, where an evening meal might go on for hours, such lingering would be cushioned by little dishes to nibble from, such as complimentary olives, or by wines. (Dino's, by the way, does have a good selection). But in northern American urban spots, people are unaccustomed to such a pace and become understandably overwrought, either from hunger or from a tight schedule.

The dishes at Dino's are creative and appealing (they also serve lunch), but to encourage repeat customers in their out-of-the-way location, they should stick to a better schedule in the kitchen.