JOSEPHINE'S BISTRO CAFE,

Tricky business, setting up shop as a restaurant on Federal Hill. Not unlike peddling pot in Amsterdam. Wisely, on this stretch of Italian competition, Josephine's Bistro Café offers a more ethnically diverse menu. Those with an osso bucco addiction have plenty of other places to choose from, so at Josephine's there's the opportunity to ease off the marinara and get hooked on crêpes instead. On Atwells Avenue, at a place like this with eclectic offerings, the real test of culinary sincerity is with the Italian items, of course. Does the restaurant play it safe or stray from the obvious? There are only seven pastas and seven-entrées on the menu -- a good sign, I always think, that everything counts as the chef's recommendation. The main dishes, moderately priced from $15 to $18, range from orange-glazed duck breast and half-rack of veal, to grilled swordfish and salmon. That last fish is served with risotto, an unusual combination, indicating a strength in the kitchen.

Full review.