1.  Inside, the restaurant, which has one Michelin star, offers white-walled Mediterranean decor along with its classic regional food.

2.  The classic food match is anything with tomatoes, especially pasta with oil, garlic and fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce.

3.  The cuisine is neither California nor grilled, but the elegant decor and classic French food were a welcome respite.

4.  When asked, Baliani, whose classic Italian food is clean, delicious and evocative of the real Italy, shrugs.

5.  When they did, at the end of the last century, they began mixing ethnic ingredients into classic French food.