Price, service, cuisine; a Trio of delights

Food is prepared with a flourish at Trio, which opened last spring in a building that has been the home of several restaurants over the last few years, including Rosse's and Bella Amici.

Trio, however, looks like it has staying power. Prices are reasonable, the informal service is friendly and the menu brims with intriguing dishes.

One of my favorites was the splendid grilled Italian sausage ($7.95), served over turnip greens and cannellini beans, drizzled with just enough rosemary olive oil to blend the elements. Although this is an appetizer, it is such a plateful that it could easily serve as a main course. It went well with the creative bruschetta, the Trio Lescano ($8.95), in which three crostini were variously topped with roasted eggplant and garlic, tomato and red onion and mozzarella and roasted peppers.

The starters are impressive because they don't include the tired clichés that kick off the meal at too many Italian restaurants. The prosciutto di Parma ($9.95) here is served with poached pears, not melon, for instance, while another big winner in the line-up is the fritto misto di mare ($9.95). It features an abundance of crisply fried calamari and shrimp, fragile zucchini flowers and a homemade aioli, packing just enough punch to embellish the seafood.

A masterful truffle and wild mushroom sauce graced porcini-dusted beef tenderloin medallions ($24.95), decked with asparagus spears that were so green they practically beckoned you to nibble them.

It doesn't matter whether you're a light eater or someone who really likes to dig into a hearty dinner. Trio offers plenty of possibilities for everyone. Even salads demonstrate a range of choices. Those who want to make a meal of their salad can go with the Caesar topped with shrimp ($8.95), though we thought a bit too much anchovy flavor jumped out of this one. A good lead-in to the main course is the blend of frisee with candied walnuts, orange segments and Gorgonzola ($7.95). A citrus vinaigrette assures the balance of this combination, in which no element, whether sweet, pungent or bitter, gets out of control.

Pasta dishes start at $13.95 for penne tossed with tomatoes, onion, garlic and basil, topped with dry aged ricotta, and run up to $18.95 for black fettucine in a marechiara sauce with mussels, clams, calamari, shrimp and fish.

Seafood entrees include an Italian classic, stewed cod ($19.95) with tomato, garlic, onions and anchovies. Roasted polenta will seal the deal for those longing for something like mama or nonna used to make. But specials offer a more modern approach, as in the grilled black bass, with scallops, shrimp and mussels over vegetables in a saffron broth ($22.95). Grilling is done perfectly here. The kitchen's expertise in this department really came out in the scallops, which were as impeccable as the sausage we enjoyed for the starter.

In the meat department, pork chops ($19.95) are mustard-crusted, served over sautéed long hot peppers for a double tingle, while those wishing for something simpler can find it in the veal scaloppine ($19.95) sautéed in a lemon white wine sauce with asparagus and roasted peppers. There are several chicken dishes available, including a grilled breast and shrimp combo ($17.95) over spinach with a smoked tomato sauce made in-house.

This well-run place is the project of three friends, the "trio," with Giovanni Manzella serving as the maitre d'. He is joined in the partnership by Michael Baker, who has a catering business and Fred Minicucci, who handles finances.

Manzella has managed numerous restaurants, including the Oak Room at the Plaza in New York and in New Jersey, the late lamented La Cucina in Somerville.

Desserts ($6.95) are made by Sheri Manzella, the maitre d's ex-wife, whose repertoire includes tiramisu (practically a requirement in New Jersey restaurants); a devilish chocolate torte, daily cheesecake specials and warm apple tart. A warm apricot and blueberry sponge cake with berry sauce and vanilla gelato was a treat, comfort food that showed some flair.

The dining room is more dramatic than in its previous incarnations, with a burnished Brazilian cherry hardwood floor, a contrast to dark walls that set off modern art and sconces providing subdued lighting.

Trio is a good bet for a relaxing evening out if you're looking for a winning combination of value with a broad vista of appealing dishes, geared to pleasing everyone, whether they want a snack or a major meal.