At Tiramisu, The Taste Of Italian

Whenever Alberto Delbello would return to his New York home after visits to Philadelphia, two thoughts occupied his mind: He liked the warmth he found here, and he felt that this would be a great place for the kind of Italian

menu used in his Manhattan restaurant.

"Eventually, I sold my share to my partners and came to Philadelphia," Delbello said. "Of course, I had planned this for a long time. But then, I finally found the right place."

Delbello's "right place" is called Tiramisu Ristorante. It's located on Fifth Street, just around the corner from South, in quarters that until recently housed Bistro. In the past, it was home to the Spaghetti Factory and Alouette.

Tiramisu the restaurant is as sweetly engaging as the rum-espresso-soaked dessert it is named after. The long and narrow brick-lined dining room is balanced by a bar at one end and a wood-burning brick oven at the other.

Delbello's creations exhibit quality ingredients, attention to detail and made-to-order flair. Presentation, while simple, personalizes each dish.

A number of the dishes are based on recipes used by Italian Jews of about the 18th century, who lived along the Tiber River in the Roman ghetto. One excellent example is the carciofi alla Giudia (Jewish artichokes) appetizer ($8.95).

This shareable antipasto uses six to 10 small artichokes cleaned so some tender spines remain. They're roasted in an earthenware pan with cloves of garlic and rich olive oil.

I had this dish elsewhere some years ago and recognized it as a recipe from Edda Servi Machlin's Classic Cuisine of the Italian Jews. Other dishes from that era include veal with artichokes and mushrooms ($14.95) and capellini primavera ($10.95).

Another ghetto-inspired dish has slices of swordfish done in olive oil with garlic, flat parsley and red pepper ($17.95). Delbello also makes daily specials.

Tiramisu does a great job with the Caesar salad for two ($7.95). Though not made at tableside, it rivaled and surpassed many that are. The romaine was crisp and there was an ideal balance of garlic, lemon and cheese.

Soups, from broccoli to stracciatella and tortellini in brodo (all $3.50) are warming and flavorful.

We shared a delicious penne dish with eggplant ($9.95). This had a fresh tomato sauce with touches of garlic, olive oil and basil. There is also a penne preparation with ham in a tomato and vodka sauce ($10.95).