Mixing it up on Mystic Ave.

July 30, 2006

Raso's Grille & Pizzeria

209 Mystic Ave., Medford

781-396-2001

www.rasosgrille.com

Lunch Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m to 3:30 p.m.; dinner Monday through Saturday, 4 to 10:30 p.m.; Sunday, 2 to 9:30 p.m.

Major credit cards accepted

Reservations accepted

Accessible to the disabled

Talk about a mixed-use development. Drive down the retail-industrial-residential two miles of Mystic Avenue and you can do almost anything: wash your car, buy a yacht, or get new springs for your semi tractor-trailer. The gateway to Medford is nothing if not eclectic.

So it seems appropriate that Raso's Grille & Pizzeria, opened last September by Richard and Kelli Raso, offers a menu as varied as the neighborhood. And given Medford's growing reputation for fabulous restaurants, this place is fitting right in.

Locals know that this spot used to be the manufacturing plant of Maria's Ravioli, a first-rate taste treat in and of itself. Today, the Raso family is serving up some wonderful fare that includes bistro, barbecue, pizza, and Italian food, all at reasonable prices.

The space has been transformed into a comfortable, handsome little restaurant with a small bar and lounge up front and a dining room behind that seats perhaps 60 patrons. The room is painted in soothing straw yellow and mint green. Formica-topped black tables with sturdy wooden chairs and a few large comfy booths and black granite tables fill the room.

Large windows along only one side of the room look out onto a parking lot and a sub shop. But we're not there for the view. We're there on a recent Sunday night to check out the local buzz and do some sampling.

We start with a cup of pasta fagioli ($3.50), its thin tomato broth bursting with flavor from an abundance of cannelloni beans, pancetta, and green beans. We also ordered the stuffed Italian peppers ($7), a special that night. Two large roasted green peppers could barely contain the moist, rich beef and rice stuffing, covered with a good marinara sauce.

And when you are in a pizzeria, it would be foolish to for go the pizza. We ordered a simple margherita pizza ($13). The light, thin, crispy crust was topped with fresh mozzarella slices, a light tomato sauce, and fresh basil. Delicious.

Moving from Italian to bistro, we enjoyed a near-perfect wood-grilled salmon ($16, also a special), covered with sweet pea tendrils, and accompanied by a garlic aioli sauce and a mound of white rice. In too many places, salmon can be overdone and underwhelming. Not here. The large portion of salmon was moist, fresh, and cooked perfectly.

Moving from bistro to barbecue, we were impressed with the generous serving of the best turkey tips we've had. At $10, it was what Consumer Reports might call a Best Buy. The large chunks of turkey were marinated in a wonderful herb dressing and came with a large side of light, fluffy Red Bliss mashed potatoes and a small house salad with a serviceable balsamic dressing.

Things were going so well that we didn't want to skip dessert, so we ordered the toasted almond cream cake ($7), which, we were told, is imported from Italy. Similar to tiramisu, the cake consisted of lady fingers soaked in an amaretto sauce and laced with sweet mascarpone cheese and whipped cream, topped with crushed toasted almonds. Just lovely.

Raso's has been developing a terrific reputation, and the place has been packed for the most part. On this night, however, the service was a bit slow, given that the dining room was only half-filled. And the black coffee ($1.50) was weak. Two nits for a place that otherwise is becoming the pride of Mystic Avenue. And you have to like a business that solicits customer feedback on its website. Maybe I'll tell them.

PHIL SANTORO