There's so much red and black around here that it looks like Christmas. Slightly strange lighting, too. But ignore that, and get to know Rosso e Nero manager Elio Orsara. Traveling the tables in best European-host style, wowing his patrons in Calabrian-accented Japanese, he makes it easy.

The neat thing about dealing with a pro like Elio is that you just say a couple of basic food words like "chicken" or "veal," then maybe a sauce idea like "tomato," or "cream." He does the rest. When possible he'll fit it within the framework of the day's set menu; a bargain Y1200-2500 for lunch and Y4500-6500 for dinner. Of course, by the time he talks you into a good wine (like the luscious, almondy Dolcetto di Dogliani), some fine cheese and a digestif or two, you won't escape for much less than Y10,000 a head. Then again, you'd search Tokyo long and hard to find better for the price. Most of the cooking falls on the southern end of the Italian spectrum, with a seaside emphasis on fish and vegetables over meat. Elio's rightfully proud of the pasta, which the kitchen makes up fresh daily in egg, tomato, spinach and squid ink varieties.

Rosso e Nero gets enough of the food-as-fuel salaryman trade that Elio becomes visibly excited when someone shows up looking for a superior meal. So call in advance, speak to the man himself and plan your meal together. And don't bother with the menu, the wine list, or anything else in printed form. This is the essence of real Italian dining--in fact real dining, period.

La Stella
6-13-11 Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku
Tel: 3833-9321
Open: 11:30am-2pm & 5-9pm; closed Sat., Sun. & hol.
Average check for two: Y12,000

Perched on the waterfront of one of the world's most beautiful harbors, La Stella is a place of pure sun-dappled enchantment. Unfortunately we're talking about the original La Stella, in Portofino on Italy's Riviera. The Tokyo branch? It's in a windowless basement on a featureless street on the wrong side of Akihabara. Ever get the feeling we live on a different planet?

The good news: Nobody seems to have told Chef Hiroi that he isn't cooking for a home-town crowd. This guy and his staff work their hearts out. The result is a big, booming dining hall, serving food every bit as good as the original. If you want a view, there's always the great platters of antipasti along the counter, the adventurous wine list, your wildly diverse fellow diners (where do they all come from?) or your companion's deep soulful eyes.

The antipasti are the great thing here. You choose yourself, in increments of three, five, or seven varieties. The waiter may warn you that seven kinds is too much. It isn't, because they're almost all astoundingly good--better than the main dishes, as usual--and go perfectly with the piping-hot focaccia, possibly the best in town. Split a pasta, pizza, fish or meat dish or two for form's sake and you've got a meal fit for a peasant, and that's praise.

You'll want wine. Forget everything you know about the stuff and order their Ciró "Mafia red." Specify an unchilled bottle. You'll have your doubts when you see the evil black label, and maybe even as you take the first sip. But give it time. Let it come to life. It's from Calabria, the Shikoku of Italy, and it's a wine of more character and honesty than 99 percent of the Italian bottles that find their way to our shores.

La Stella recently opened a pint-size branch in Kagurazaka called Piccola Stella (5228-2381). It too is worth a visit, but start here. In spite (or because) of the improbable location, La Stella is doing as much as any restaurant in Tokyo for our city's appreciation of the art of the Italian kitchen.

TIDBITS

Italian Chic on a Shoestring
The new Acqua Pazza Aoyama is just as fashionable and financially punishing as the original AP. Stick to the ground-floor café, though, and you can sample some of the wares for a discount. Inspired, multi-national wine list, too. 6-6-20 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku (3406-9586).

Wine o' the Month: 1994 Penfolds Semillon Chardonnay

For less than Y1000 it doesn't get any better than this: mouthfuls of ripe Australian fruit, vanilla richness and a lemony zing. Long rule Penfolds! Imported by Suntory; widely available.