Say hi to familiar Italian favorites at Ciao Baby!

Vince Pecora is back in the northwest suburban Italian restaurant business.

Pecora re-emerged last fall as chef/owner of Ciao Baby! in Barrington. Since stepping away from the Clemenza restaurant group and closing his Hoffman Estates restaurant he's spent time as a restaurant consultant and headed up Barrington Catering for three years. His latest endeavor fits today's demand for casual and affordable restaurant meals.

At lunch, service is fast-casual, where customers order at the counter, take seats and are called when their orders are ready. A lot of carryout meals also are ordered at lunch time. At dinner, traditional table service sets a more relaxed tone. Pecora continues to operate a busy catering business, too.

Atmosphere is trattoria-style with hardwood floors and dark wood tables covered by butcher paper for easy cleanup. The hard surfaces do make the small storefront noisy, creating a lively buzz during busy times.

Most menu items are traditional Italian, borrowing heavily from Pecora's family recipes. Pizza, pasta, familiar appetizers including rolled stuffed eggplant, baked clams and stuffed artichoke; a selection of American chicken, seafood and beef entrees round out the menu.

Heed my warning: Most portion sizes are huge. Our group of four over-ordered and ended up leaving with several doggy bags.

Beginning with the stuffed artichoke, we liked the flavorful stuffing of garlic bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and herbs in a light broth. The herbs added a lot to this classic dish, which some restaurants, unfortunately, omit.

The rolled breaded eggplant appetizer came stuffed with ricotta and mozzarella and topped with marinara sauce and herbs. Although tasty, this dish proved to be rather heavy to start a big meal, so most of it ended up going home.

A non-Italian and lighter alternative, the signature shrimp cocktail, more closely resembles Mexican-style ceviche with its cooked diced shrimp in a tomato-based sauce with avocado, cilantro lemon and lime juices. Good, but not our favorite.

Salads can be ordered in half or full portions with the menu noting that full portions “will feed two comfortably.” I'm a big fan of having portion size choices and appreciated this option.

The meatless chopped salad included lots of fresh vegetables — diced greens, celery, carrots, red cabbage, red onion, cucumber, tomato and red peppers — tossed with Gorgonzola cheese, pasta and a light mango vinaigrette. The butter toffee nut topping made this already flavorful salad simply outstanding.

Since Ciao Baby! is especially known for its thin-crust pizza from the wood-burning oven, we had to try a sample. Sauce is made daily in small batches, the cheese a mixed blend of mozzarella and provolone and a single size, 14 inches, is made to hold down costs, according to a menu note.

Creative types can mix and match their own toppings for an extra charge, including barbecue sauce for $1, grilled zucchini and squash for $2 or marinated Italian beef for $4. The menu also lists several of Pecora's own creations including his hearty lasagna pizza and barbecued chicken breast pizza.

We stuck to the tried-and-true cheese and sausage and were not disappointed. These ingredients are simple and satisfying, and the razor-thin crust was excellent. Carryout customers also can order half-baked pizza that can be finished at home in the oven in just a few minutes.

We tried a couple of pastas as well. The simplest one, pasta marinara with angel hair noodles, indeed tasted of freshly made sauce, accented with herbs and slightly sweet. The four-cheese baked rigatoni with the same marinara was a much heavier selection but flavorful and comforting on a cold day.

For a lighter entree we enjoyed the grilled chicken breast with grilled vegetables, flavored with herbs and balsamic vinegar. There are no carbohydrates in this dish, a welcome alternative to most of the menu, especially for diners who may be counting calories or carbs.

The menu held several other entrees we did not have room to sample, including meatloaf stuffed with four cheeses, spinach, Canadian bacon and herbs; grouper Franchese, sauteed in white wine, lemon and capers and served over angel hair; and the Ciao Baby! prime rib. Daily specials also are offered.

We did save room for dessert, a red velvet cupcake, which an expert in our group pronounced to be very good. Other desserts available the night we dined included two kinds of cannoli, tiramisu and profiteroles.

The affordability of most menu items bodes well for success in our difficult economic times. Even the most frugal folks should treat themselves occasionally to a good restaurant meal and Ciao Baby is a treat indeed.

Ÿ Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not review restaurants it cannot recommend.

Ciao Baby!

232 E. Main St., Barrington, (847) 381-3555, <a href="http://www.ciaobabyonline.com" target="_blank">ciaobabyonline.com</a>

<b>Cuisine:</b> Italian

<b>Setting: </b>Contemporary trattoria

<b>Entrees: </b>$9 to $27

<b>Hours: </b>11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily