Venda's on the other side of the square. Somewhat tucked out of the way, this excellent restaurant offers traditional Italian cuisine with something of a modern twist.

The restaurant covers two floors and a patio area outside. The first floor is given over to a comfortable lounge and bar. Diners can enjoy a predinner drink or an appetizer as they gather for their dinner reservation. The upper floor offers a pleasant dining area where chef Alberto Lopez serves beautifully interpreted Italian food.

There's nothing traditional about the high level of plating skills and carefully arranged dishes that mark this as something more than the run-of-the-mill Federal Hill Italian restaurant.

The upstairs dining room is comfortable with a mixture of bare brick and warm woods. White linens over blue table cloths and delightful Italian paintings provide a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere for your dinner.

We were very impressed with the service, which was attentive, friendly and helpful. Our waiter was well-versed as to the contents of the wine list. It was mostly American and Italian, however it did have a few Australian and French bottles tucked at the back. We stuck to the recommended Italian wines served by the glass and were delighted with both the quality and pairings that were recommended.

Chef Alberto Lopez makes everything from a Boston Bibb salad to traditional zucchini flowers taste like original dishes. Everything was delightfully proportioned, very tasty and flavorful.

We really enjoyed the stuffed zucchini flowers finding them crunchy, packed with flavor and covered with an outstanding fresh tomato sauce. We also tasted the lobster ravioli (presumably from Venda Ravioli's excellent pasta range) which was served with a creamy pink mascarpone sauce and jumbo shrimp. The combination of the pasta, the lobster flavor, the sauce and the shrimp were simply wonderful.

Undoubtedly, the high point of the meal was the rack of veal infused with cheese and a hint of mustard. The veal was extraordinarily tender and the stuffing, which was flavorful, was neither heavy nor overwhelmed the delicious meat. We have not enjoyed rack of veal for a long time, but intend to add it to our favorites list from now on.

Even the desserts managed to rise well above the ordinary. We tried a dessert sampler with chocolate devil's food cake, tiramisu and strawberry crème brûlée. The tiramisu was soft, light and succulent, the Devil's food cake was chocolaty and intense, but the standout was the strawberry crème brûlée. Most people enjoy a crème brûlée for its smooth velvety texture and crunchy sugary topping. This version added an intense strawberry flavor which added to the mouth feel immensely. Definitely a keeper!

Costantino's is somewhat out of the mainstream traffic off Federal Hill, but is not out of the mainstream of contemporary Italian cooking. With this unusual split-level restaurant you can find yourself looking out over the square and believing you're in Italy. The food, wine and service are first-class and definitely set the standard for dining in the area. Chef Alberto Lopez is a friendly, personable character whose cooking skills are a match for even the most demanding palette.

The wine list was mostly American and Italian, however, there were a few Australian and French selections. The list had over 200 bottles that ranged from $20 - $450 (for 1980 Opus One).

13 wines by the glass were available ranging from $7-10 dollars.