Omnivore - No more pizza on the floor

It’s been several years since I visited Pasta Vino (2391 Peachtree Road, 404-231-4946) in Peachtree Battle Promenade. It was originally opened by the same folks who operated Abruzzi (R.I.P.), one of the city’s first serious Italian spots. Early on, the trattoria got the rep for having the best pizza in the city because of its young chef, Danny Arturo, who went on to open Arturo’s (R.I.P.) in Dunwoody.

When I walked into the place for a solo lunch recently, I didn’t recognize it. As good as the food usually was, Pasta Vino was never known for its neatness. I remember eating one meal at a table under which someone had hurled half a pizza.

Now, it looks great. It’s spotlessly clean, painted in calming colors and hung with some wonderful black and white portraits. A server later told me it has had a new owner for the last year.

The menu looks fundamentally the same (and includes the addictive and famous garlic knots). Dinner specials don’t seem as numerous, though, and that’s where the restaurant had come to make its mark. I satisfied myself with a bowl of rigatoni Napoletana — a big serving of pasta with Italian sausage and roasted peppers in marinara (shown above).

Don’t draw a conclusion about the restaurant’s popularity from the nearly empty dining room in the photo above. I lunched late and the restaurant’s patio is favored by most diners.