Gianni’s trots out the time-honored trellis with fake vines and tosses in a few photos of Venice, Florence, and the Cinque Terre. That’s about it for décor—with the exception of a framed “Critic’s Choice” award and other testimonials. Some folks apparently feel there’s more here than meets the eye.

Some folks may be onto something. The herbed rolls that come right out of the kitchen are certainly better than the bread that normally greets diners in Italian joints—though we’re perplexed by the accompanying marinara dip. Packaged croutons may top your daily soup special; if it’s “Tuscan” tomato it will be creamy but a little sotto voce. But care has been exercised in selecting some unexpected wines: Wahluke Slope Washington Merlot? Gedouddahere.

Starters and mains also come close to transcending the strip-center genre. An order of sautéed calamari arrives with rings of quasi-crunchy squid in a fragrant broth suggesting wine, garlic, lemon…and inspiring spoon, not fork. Baked cannelloni “Florentino” boasted tender “Italian crêpes” and a filling of spinach and ground veal that was, despite excessive dried Italian seasoning, pretty good. A touch more cream in the “creamy” tomato sauce woud be good, if only for reasons of texture and appearance. Pizzas are pricey, but desserts look fine. Speaking of appearance, if chef is going to spend time schmoozing upfront, he needs to invest in a couple changes of garb.