Restaurant reviews: Calvino's Restaurant and Wine Bar ***

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Calvino's Restaurant and Wine Bar exerts the kind of addictive power over its customers that most dining establishments covet.

On the north edge of Old Orchard along busy Central Avenue, the restaurant tends to inspire a loyalty among its customers who, upon hearing you're going there, perk up and either ask what you plan to order or make recommendations. And they'll track you down once you've been there to ask how it went.

The place is laid out a bit strangely. When you walk in, there's a small waiting area with a nice wine bar off to the left. You can sit there and have a drink or purchase a bottle from the diverse selection and have it sent upstairs into the dining area, where beer also is served.

Calvino's is unassuming with a relatively small dining area that looks as if it would be OK for a well-kept college eating establishment. Given the restaurant's proximity to the University of Toledo - which is a few miles south down Secor Road - that makes sense, but the worn carpeting, lack of artwork on the walls, and casual atmosphere undersells the high quality of the food.

With a menu that skews heavily Italian, it's not surprising that the food comes in heaping servings. My companions and I started lunch with an order of spinach and feta bread ($6.95/$7.95) that was heaping with ingredients. The feta made it a bit salty, but that's a quibble.

From there we ordered a Venice turkey club sandwich ($6.25/$8.25) that was served on a thick, hearty slab of toasted wheat bread. The turkey was piled high and the bacon had a smoky taste that gave the sandwich a lot of body.

Calvino's has 13 specialty pizzas and the usual mishmash of pick-your-own-ingredients selections, and we've never been disappointed with their pies. For lunch we went with the pancetta and four cheese, which were most excellent. The pancetta featured spinach, Canadian bacon, and tomato and was a big, meaty pie without being overwhelming. The four-cheese - ricotta, mozzarella, cheddar, and feta - was creamy and much more subtle.

The restaurant's pizza combinations are creative - garlic shrimp, Greek, Hawaiian, a white pie, eggplant parmesan - and range in price from about $8 for a small up to about $21 for a large, depending on what you get and how many ingredients.

For dinner we ordered the butternut squash ravioli ($16.25) and the lasagna ($11.75). The latter was served with a rich red sauce and a choice of vegetables, Italian sausage, ground beef, or chicken as an added ingredient. We went with the sausage and weren't disappointed; it was savory.

The ravioli were intriguing, but we weren't quite sure how much we liked them. Not that they were bad or poorly prepared, but the sweet squash along with the red sauce and cheese somehow didn't seem to complement each other.

Calvino's also specializes in strombolis that are basically mini-pizzas. If you're ever there for lunch, we highly recommend the Greek, which includes spinach, pine nuts, basil, sun-dried tomato, garlic and feta. At $6 for a mini (all of the stromboli are priced in three sizes: 6, 11, and 26 inches) it's a great lunch sandwich.

It would be remiss to forget the fresh, warm bread Calvino's serves with each meal. It's perfect for dipping but don't overdo it or you'll be too full for the main courses.

The place has a serious drawback for our friends who use mobility equipment: There's no way they could get up the steep stairs to the dining room. We asked our waitress, and she said Calvino's can make accommodations in the downstairs area. Given the friendly nature of the staff and overall casual vibe, we're guessing they go out of their way to make anyone feel at home.

Contact Bill of Fare at fare@theblade.com.