Restaurant Review: La Dolce Vita

Busy Augusta Street, from Church Street southeast past Faris Road, straddles the line between downtown and suburbia. Although this stretch is lined with strip malls, pharmacies, and bank branches, there are still treasures to be found in the chic boutiques, high-end gift shops, and trendy restaurants that cater to the country club and Cleveland Park elite.

Locally owned restaurants tend to do well here, regardless of competition from a few national chains and franchises, which generally appeal to lunch crowds.

Owner Rocky Davani is well-known on the Greenville restaurant circuit, having worked at some of the city’s top tables including Alberto’s, Rene’s, and Devereaux’s. His eponymous restaurant, which opened in July 2008, has settled in admirably. Ordinarily, I find restaurants in strip shopping centers to be less than inviting, but Davani’s transcends its location. Imposing wooden doors mark the entrance; inside, no detail is overlooked, from the embossed leather ceiling to gleaming hardwood floors. Decorative iron gates help delineate the entryway from the dining area, and as we were led to our table, we left the parking lot of an Augusta Street strip mall far behind. The spaces are fluidly divided, giving a sense of several smaller areas that flow easily from one to the next. Tables are draped in pristine white cloths and carefully set with mosaic votive candles, quality flatware, and beautiful wine glasses. Maxfield Parrish–style paintings line one wall above high-backed booths. Background music, classic jazz standards mostly, was never intrusive. Overall, the effect is warm, intimate, comfortable, even romantic.

The service is tailored to suit the ambiance: professional and notably well-versed in the particulars of Davani’s food and wine, but welcoming and friendly.

With some input from our server, we settled on a fabulous 2005 Buehler Cabernet. Wine is an important component of dining at Davani’s, and their offerings are carefully chosen to include a range of Pacific Northwest and European labels, augmented by a few solid Chilean and Australian bottles. They also maintain a wide selection of by-the-glass options.

Our meal was preceded by an amuse- bouche of sweet marinated mushrooms with red-bell-pepper strips and balsamic vinegar. Appetizers were the weakest part of the meal. My companion deemed his Carpaccio acceptable, although it was missing the capers specified on the menu and would have benefitted from more liberal shavings of Parmesan. I opted for a Caesar salad, which was easily large enough for two; house-made croutons and dressing were both flavorful, if applied a bit overzealously. The majority of the appetizers are seafood-based, and the menu might benefit from more variety.

Main courses, on the other hand, offer guests a much broader choice. Steaks, veal osso buco, shellfish fra diavolo, and penne rustiche with Italian sausage were just a few of the dishes we contemplated. I have a weakness for anything prepared picatta-style, and Davani’s features both veal and chicken versions. I decided on the French-cut Ashley Farms chicken, topped by a delicate, buttery sauce with an ever-so-slight tang from the lemon and capers. Perfect. Accompanying vegetables were steamed al dente, roasted red potatoes served well to soak up additional sauce. My companion chose one of the evening’s specials, lamb loin topped with mushroom bordelaise over lentils, with garlic-sautéed spinach. This was a robust dish, the lamb cooked medium-rare, and my companion was thrilled. The lentils—earthy, mildly spiced, and perfectly cooked—were so good I could have eaten nothing else and been satisfied.

Desserts at Davani’s are a high point. In fact, their chocolate marquise took first prize at this year’s Chocolate Soirée benefit, and I can say with conviction that the award is wholly deserved. We shared this and one other dessert, a tender bread pudding topped with white-chocolate sauce, and excellent espresso. We couldn’t finish the sweets. Next time, I plan to skip the appetizer and savor an entire dessert. The choices vary from day to day.

Every aspect of our experience at Davani’s proved lovely, and we will be returning. The sooner the better. Davani’s promises to become a destination restaurant, not only in the Augusta Street neighborhood but for the city at large.