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Da Vinci’s Table provides neighborhood Italian-American food in a pleasant, quiet setting. The walkway is lined with an attractive flower-and-herb garden.

Inside, walls in deep wine and abstract wine-and-gray wallpaper are decorated with Italian-religious prints. The bar is to the rear, well-separated from the dining room.

The food is better than usual for this price range and style.

Calamari ($7.95) equals almost any I’ve had for flavor and crispness, enhanced with fried herbs (lots of crisp parsley), drizzled with garlic aioli and marinara sauce on the side.

Spinach Pizza ($6.95/6-inch) is covered with fresh spinach, mushrooms, onions and lots of lush mozzarella cheese, on a thin crust that generates good flavor around the edges, where it’s cooked firm.

Entrée prices include a House (get the blue cheese or balsamic vinaigrette dressing) or Caesar salad plus garlic bread. A couple of Texas toast style thick white slices, served with entrees, tasted more of salt than garlic.

Pasta portions are large enough to share as a first course or serve as an individual entrée for a hearty appetite. Pesto Tortellini ($11.95) yields predominant basil flavor, undergirded by Parmesan cheese and a little garlic plus pine nuts. Lasagna ($10.95) layers ricotta and mozzarella cheeses between sheet pasta, covers it all with rich tomato-meat sauce, and bakes the assembly until the cheeses are melted and blended.

Several entrees are available in small/large portions. Eggplant Parmigiana ($10/$13) places breaded and fried slices in meat sauce baked with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses — a rich concoction that nevertheless allows the flavor of the main ingredient to come through. Spaghetti with meat sauce is served alongside. In Veal Parmigiana ($13/$17), the meat is a little firm, but appropriate for the cut and price, lightly breaded and fried to a pleasant crust, then baked with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses in a thick, rich tomato sauce. Chicken Cacciatore ($9/$12) consists of a grilled breast covered with tomato chunks in rich tomato sauce, plus mushrooms, green peppers and onions, over vermicelli.

Smothered New York Strip Steak ($19.95) exhibits solid depth from the beef. It arrived cooked just as ordered, its flavor extended by mozzarella cheese and mushrooms — a good Italian variation on an American favorite.

We tried three off-menu specials. Braised Lamb ($16.95) literally was fork tender, oozing deep, rich flavor, presented over mashed potatoes flanked by carrots and haricot vert. Ziti Pasta with Crabmeat and Gorgonzola Cream ($13.95) garnished most of its flavor from the lush cheese and cream sauce, in a colorful presentation with bright red tomato cubes and green onion clips. Pot Roast ($12.95) bore large chunks of tender, deeply flavored beef and freshly cut large carrots, potatoes and onions, in a portion large enough to provide leftovers for another meal.

A waitress advised that some desserts are made in house, others not. The crust in Cherry Pie ($4.95) tasted homemade, the cherries canned, very sweet. Coffee tasted burnt.

Lynn and Richard Heller opened the restaurant on Sept. 11, 2010. She has a long history in the restaurant business from 15 years at da Vinci’s in Williamstown, W.Va. The chef is Chris King, who learned to cook from his grandmother. He relocated from Asheville’s Tupelo Honey Café about a month ago. Will Gatling is general manager.

John Batchelor is a freelance contributor who has been reviewing restaurants for more than 25 years. You can reach him at P.O. Box 20848, Greensboro, NC 27420, or send e-mail to john.e.batchelor@gmail.com. To find his recent columns, visit GoTriad.com..