The smell of grapes in the arbor framing the front entrance to Chianti’s seemed like a good sign. So did the first sip of their Chianti, a smooth-on-the-tongue, full-bodied red. This year-old restaurant has taken the place of several others, including the Greenwich Tavern, sitting in the fork of the road that heads down to Goddard Park. And it’s already developed a loyal clientele.

For Bill’s money, that would be because of the amazingly generous portion of large shrimp (six) in his $8 shrimp cocktail (it was his birthday, and he was in that kind of mood). Other appetizers were pretty standard Rhode Island fare, from clams zuppa and clams casino through bruschetta, stuffed mushrooms, and fried calamari. The offering of fried smelts did score a point for authenticity on the Italian-American scale.

I, meanwhile, was studying the salads, Caesar, spinach, snail (the Italo-American touch again), and fresh mozzarella with tomatoes and Bermuda onions ($6.95). I asked our very upbeat waitress, Kylie, if they were seasonal/local tomatoes, and perhaps she misunderstood, but they were, disappointingly, in this prime time for tomatoes, hard, flavorless, and obviously out-of-season whatever their origin.

Bill was happy with his horseradishy cocktail sauce on the shrimp and with his "Italian martini" ($6.50), with amaretto in it. He read and reread the pasta and entrée possibilities, leaning toward a red sauce and some kind of pasta with meatballs. When he found the capellini matriciana ($12.25), with sautéed onions, bacon, and Romano cheese — bacon being another item not usually on our radar — he leaped at the opportunity and ordered a side of meatballs as well (another bargain at $2). He loved both, as well as his complementary cup of Italian wedding-style chicken soup, packed with tiny meatballs and chicken.

After considering the signature chicken (pollo alla Chianti), with mushrooms, asparagus, and fontina cheese, in a cream sauce, I chose a different chicken dish that sounded a bit less caloric: "pollo all lemone" ($14.25), described as grilled chicken marinated in a lemon-garlic sauce. It was actually two substantial breasts pounded flat and grilled (a bit too long), served over rice with some of the buttery sauce on top. It was probably just as caloric. The chicken was tasty, if a bit dry, but the vegetables, a medley of green beans, cauliflower, and summer squash, made up for it, again liberally doused with olive oil.

The layout of Chianti’s is interesting, with what can only be described as a T-shaped bar. Three sides of the fat stem of the "T" and the two sides of its top line are outfitted with bar stools. Dining rooms are set on each side of this unusual structure, and atrium seating, with three or four tables surrounded by windows, is in front of each. Our table looked out on nice landscaping: graceful grasses, multi-colored low-growing shrubs, the spears of post-season lily leaves.

Inside, the walls are knotty pine or accented with wood that’s been stained that same shade of pine. The ceilings are low, but the noise level was fine on the weeknight we were there, despite a large party of 10 or 12 nearby. White linens are covered with white butcher paper, but the cloth napkins are burgundy.

Kylie brought us the dessert tray on which perched a chocolate-chip-cookie pie, a cheesecake, and a carrot cake, all from a local purveyor. The cannoli have a house-made filling, so we opted to share one. The shells were flaky and a bit cinnamony, the ricotta filling just a little bit sweet with milk-chocolate chips for texture.

In addition to the restaurant,Chianti’s acts as a deli take-out from 11 am-5 pm, with items such as meatballs, penne, chicken or veal cutlets, sausage with peppers, and antipasto salads. An even better deal is the "Pasta Pranzo" on Sunday (12-5 pm). It’s an all-you-can-eat Italian family-style dinner, with an antipasto, the wedding soup, a pasta course with spicy marinara, Alfredo or pink vodka sauce, followed by an entrée (chicken marsala or veal with mushrooms and peas), with roasted potatoes and fresh vegetables. You get all this for $14.95 per person. That’s a bargain worthy of that shrimp cocktail.

Johnette Rodriguez can be reached at johnette.rodriguez@cox.net.