Salento

Life is a bottomless pasta bowl for fans of Philadelphia's Italian BYOBs. Hardly a week goes by without yet another new trattoria turning on the lights and firing up an espresso machine.

I expected the pace to slacken a couple of years ago. But it hasn't, even if some of the more mundane efforts prove unequivocally that there is such a thing as too much fried calamari and penne pomodoro.

There have been a few notable stars, though, cooking from the heart of the trend. And chef Davide and Kathryn Faenza have rightfully won a strong following for their unique interpretations of regional southern Italian home cooking at their tiny L'Angolo in South Philadelphia. Who can blame them for wanting to expand - after seven years - beyond L'Angolo's 35 seats?

That is exactly what they've done at Salento, the four-month-old 70-seater they've opened just northwest of Rittenhouse Square. Of course, Rittenhouse happens to be one of the most densely trattorized neighborhoods in town, with Melograno, Caffe Casta Diva, Branzino, Porcini, Roberto Cafe, and Gioia Mia among the best.

Salento is bigger than most of those, though I'm not especially charmed by the room. Part of L'Angolo's appeal remains its intimate quarters. Salento feels vaguely like a bustling basement space, though I now understand that its whitewashed plaster walls, linen-draped four-legged tables, and pale-blue fabric accents were intended to evoke the austere Greek influence common in Faenza's home region (Salento) at the bottom of Puglia on Italy's heel.

What Salento may lack in warm decor and pure comfort (the room is incredibly noisy, despite sound treatments), the restaurant more than compensates for in outgoing service and genuine flavors.

The menu's style is similar to L'Angolo's, though it mostly avoids duplication, and Faenza focuses on the aspects - bean dishes, seafood, and game ragus - that distinguish his region and hometown of Gallipoli.

The antipasto Pugliese is a good example, with various bruschetta (most notably a tangy carpaccio of cured swordfish) that ring an earthy bowl of pureed fava beans ribboned with dandelion greens.