In short, you have to be either certifiably insane or incredibly confident to open a restaurant with a hard-to-remember name in a neighborhood that’s off the beaten path. And Chef Giancarlo Macchiarella, I can assure you is far from insane. In fact, he has a proven track record that began in Palermo, and includes stints in India, San Francisco, Beverly Hills, and Aspen and, now, Mayfair. And, if our recent visit is any indicator, Locanda del Borgo is going to be another notch on his pistol.

The décor at Locanda del Borgo is simple, comfortable elegance. We entered through a casual lounge area flanked by a granite-topped bar, and were led to our table—simple, clothless, candle-lit—on the edge of the main dining area, and separated by a short dividing wall from the open kitchen.

I just realized I used the word “simple” twice in the last paragraph to define the ambiance at Locanda del Borgo, and that single word is probably the one that best describes everything about the restaurant. Simple, but very impressive. The menu, for example, is not overly large, yet it manages to cover the entire spectrum of Italian fare, from pasta to pizza, with about eight meat and seafood entrees. And it ranges in price from a low of $11 (all of the pasta dishes are in the mid-teens) to a high of $27 for a rack of lamb.

The food, also, speaks to the “less is more” philosophy of the kitchen. A bowl of mussels is described simply on the menu as “steamed with white wine and garlic,” yet what arrives at the table is a dish that sparkles with flavor, and leaves you almost in tears when the last one is gone. A second appetizer of pizza dough wrapped strudel-style around a mix of fresh mozzarella and arugula, likewise, takes one aback with its flavor impact.

Veal Scaloppine is one of those dishes that’s pretty much undefined, allowing a chef to go wherever his imagination takes him, and Chef Macchiarella takes advantage of that freedom to vary the dish on a daily basis. On this night, it brought sautéed thinly sliced veal topped with tomato slices and fresh mozzarella. Again, the ultimate in simplicity, yet unbelievably good. A second dish, the grilled pork chop, brings a double-cut, bone-in chop with a port-wine/mustard glaze, and a dusting of herbs. Simple, mouth-watering, and grilled to a perfect light pink center.

We shouldn’t have had dessert, but surrendered to the lure of a lemon-chocolate tart, homemade of course, and worth mentioning because it was remarkably un-sweet and, as such, provided a perfect ending to this superb meal.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, locanda is another word for restaurant—like trattoria or bistro, and borgo is a neighborhood. So, the name of this don’t-miss restaurant is appropriately translated as “neighborhood restaurant.” Welcome to the neighborhood, guys.

Locanda del Borgo, 5575 E. Third Ave., at Holly, 303-388-0282

http://www.locanda-del-borgo.com/