Taking top prize in the "don't judge a book by its cover" category, Trattoria 31, the newest addition to Bridgeport's oddly anemic Italian restaurant selection, works as the very essence of the unexpected. Just when you think you've got the place nailed, it pulls the rug out from under you. This isn't to say, however, that the food is particularly adventurous. But when juxtaposed with the restaurant's modish interior, the menu is Dean Martin traditional.

Trattoria 31's decor is breezy and ambient, coming alive in shocks of blonde and honeysuckle. Its razor sharp, ultra-clean facade stands like a beacon against 31st Street's bleak topography. A bass-heavy soundtrack and black and white photos of old Chicago only add to the enigma.

Food hits all the basics: pasta, beef, chicken and fish, all executed with the type of Old World precision that seems to become more and more rare as time goes on. The gnocchetti is to die for, particularly because it's soft and crumbly as it should be. Entrees are also done right. The rigatoni con pollo, a staple of any trattoria worth its weight in tomato sauce, is a symphony of sweet sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata olives in garlic olive oil.

This place is not cheap, and two separate servers on two separate occasions seemed more than a little disinterested, but the sheer quality of the food more than makes up for it. But you'd better get there soon: At 8 p.m. on a Saturday, the place was virtually empty. Don't let this jewel fade away!

Centerstage Reviewer: Adam White