ourselvesperforming at their level or even approaching it.

In the land of restaurants the same holds true, few, a very few restaurants just tower above the rest. These restaurants perform to a higher standard day-in and day-out and like great athletes, leave their competitors wondering just how on earth they do it. Boston is blessed with a number of such truly world-class restaurants and high among them is Davio's on Arlington Street.

Davio's is a successful transplant from its original location on Newbury Street. Moving to the Paine Furniture building on Arlington Street in 1986, Davio's has become one of the "ubber" restaurants among Boston's dining cognoscenti. That's not to say it's pretentious or elitist, not at all, it's just outstandingly good. In fact, Davio's is a surprisingly cosmopolitan place. The restaurant is home to businessmen, tourists, politicians and just plain ordinary folk like you and me. This is a testament to their relaxed and friendly approach to fine dining and their appreciation that good food doesn't need to know any social boundaries.

We recently had an opportunity to dine at Davio's and to enjoy a selection of items from their wide ranging menu. I have to confess that I really like eating there and often visit after the theater for an appetizer and glass of wine at the bar. Like most restaurants, their menu is updated regularly and this is the first time that I've had a chance to sample some of their more recent menu items.

Steve DiFillipo must have had extraordinary insight when he chose the Paine building to be the new home of his restaurant. It is a huge space with large columns and enough room for an enormous open kitchen, generous bar, lounging area and an ample dining room. The place is typically busy and always filled with a warm hubbub of voices that compliments the wonderful smell of fresh baking bread from the on-site bakery. The evening we were there, the bar lounge was full of businessmen and women, folks enjoying an after work drink and parties preparing to enjoy a good meal. The bar area changes personality depending on the time of the evening with the after theater crowd taking over from the after work crowd as the evening progresses.

We took our seats toward the back of the large dining area and had the pleasure of being served by Tony, who is one of the long-standing characters that populate Davio's wait staff. The fact that Tony has been with the restaurant since it opened, perhaps indicates why the service is so smooth and enjoyable. From the very moment you take your seat, to the last crumb of food, you are pampered, encouraged and assisted to enjoy a meal. I'm very picky about the way the wait staff behaves and was particularly taken with the pleasant interaction between customers and wait persons going on around our table.

Normally when we review a restaurant, we stick to a few simple descriptions of dishes and then try to give an overall impression. In this case, that's going to be really hard. We sampled several appetizers, enjoyed two of the signature entrées and lapped up a couple of the delicious desserts.

Davio's is billed as a Northern Italian Steakhouse. Although there is indeed a distinctly Italian flavor to the menu, it is very high end and geared toward a broad audience. Each dish features a little twist that makes the menu refreshing and tempting. Examples like; Kobe Beef Tartare au-Poivre, Deviled Egg, Caper Berries, Toasted Focaccia or Crispy Chicken Livers, Port Balsamic Glaze, Glass Spinach, Toasted Pine Nuts, give you some idea of the innovation and complexity to the dishes. You can eat the food at the bar or in the dining area. Many just stop in for a pre-theater, quick dinner at the bar. However, the the dining room is so enjoyable that you want to sit down and browse your way through both the menu and the wine list.

As we left the restaurant, we chatted with Eleanor Arpino, the General Manager. She had been visiting various tables checking on customers and some of Davio's regulars. I was struck by the refreshingly honest and modest way she talked about the restaurant. No pretension here and probably another reason why the place is so good. We talked and walked to the door. As we passed by we saw a well known politician, a couple more intent on each other than the food, a young couple getting the waiter to sort out which wine they should choose and a host of other cheerful diners. Perhaps this is the best of all impressions of Davio's - fantastic food, terrific wines, great service and most of all an atmosphere that morphs to please everyone from lofty political figures to the mere hungry. Long may they continue to dominate the sport of eating.

We chose a glass of 2003, Chardonnay Novellum Languedoc for $12 and 2002, Pinot Noir Distant Bay California for $10. Both were distinctly above-average for by-the-glass wines in this category.

At the high end, there are a number of outstanding Italian and American red wines including the extraordinary 1999 Castello dei Rampolla d’Alceo Tuscany for $300 and the 2002 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Windsor Gardens Sonoma for $147.

Prices range from the mid-thirties to as high as you want to go.