RESTAURANT REVIEW + PHOTOS: Vesuvio relaxes a bit with lunch, pizza

"Now Serving Pizza ... New Menu ... Delivery or Carry Out ... Relaxed-Casual-Family Friendly."

"Open For Lunch ... New Menu."

"Now Hiring Experienced Wait Staff."

"PIZZA."

These are the lawn signs outside Vesuvio Bistro. They are also signs of the times for the Italian restaurant that recently made over its menu and concept.

Once more of a special-occasion place, Vesuvio Bistro, which has added lunch and pizza to its menu and added "Pizza, Pasta, Grill" as its subtitle, aspires to be a more casual all-occasions place.

For those who liked it fancy, fear not. Fine food -- such as Vesuvio's signature Spaghetti Alla Chitarra ($15.57) of egg noodles with sauteed shiitake mushrooms, twirled in a giant cheese wheel and served tableside -- is still there.

And there was still a piano player serenading patrons with Broadway tunes from the center lounge area on a Saturday night -- even while muted TV screens showed sports.

Vesuvio's all-day menu features appetizers ($7-$12), soup ($3-$6), sandwiches ($9.75-$11.50), Italian favorites ($12.75-$15.75), salads ($5-$9.50; $6-$14 to add proteins).

And there's pizza -- $6 for a 6-inch cheese, up to $20.75 for a 16-inch fully-loaded specialty pie (additional toppings are $1-$1.75; gluten-free crust is available for $1.75). A separate "Grill and Features" menu offers a half-dozen more upscale seafood, pork and steak options ($18.75-$36).

The restaurant, which moved from what is now the Burgundy Hotel to the former El Chico's space off Rodney Parham in 2013, has some challenges. Not only is it tucked back from the main road, it doesn't have any large signs to remind diners that it's there.

Despite the small new signs and social media advertising, we were the only weekday diners (aside from a pesky fly or two) in the restaurant for its new lunch service.

A friend and I started the meal with a Classic Antipasto ($12), a prettily presented board of the kitchen's-choice two meats and two cheeses (which the friendly server couldn't identify) plus olives, which was too big for two to share. A call to the chef revealed the intense meats and buttery and bitey cheese selections most likely were the Genoa salami, salametti, fontina and pecorino.

My friend offered high praise for the tomato soup of the day: "I would go back just for the soup. Roasted tomato with a drizzle of oil and a sprinkling of herbs on top. Perfect in its simplicity." It would end up being her favorite part of the meal.

My Caesar salad was nothing special. I missed the dramatic, dressing-drizzled full leaves of romaine that the restaurant used to serve. It might as well have come in a grocery kit, if not for the bready croutons. Some nice parmesan shavings would have helped.

The Sausage & Peppers sandwich ($9.75) was not what I expected. Rather than sausage links, it featured a hefty hand-pressed patty smothered in melted cheese (not mentioned on the menu, but a pleasant surprise) that was too big for the toasted sub roll and impossible to eat as a sandwich. But it, with the addition of green peppers and onions, made for a fine fork-and-knife meal. The unidentified white sauce that accompanied it (the server guessed it might be their homemade creamy Italian) didn't appeal; marinara would have been preferable.

The Crabcake Panini ($11.50) made my friend downright crabby: "When you smash a crab cake between two pieces of bread and add cheese, all light and flaky qualities are gone. What you are left with is a not-very-flavorful mashed mess. NOOOO. What a terrible thing to do to a crab cake."

Sandwiches are served with house-made chips. I appreciated the effort, even if said friend deemed them too thick and pretty bland.

Mine was one of just a couple of cars in the parking lot on a weeknight when I went to pick up carryout pizza and salads. The call-ahead order was ready when I got there; in fact, the restaurant had just called to say it was waiting as I was walking in.

My companion's Zorba Salad ($9.50) was a colorful mix of greens with tomato wedges, olives, a teeny sprinkle of feta and a plastic cup of vinaigrette dressing. It seemed, at least this carryout version, seriously puny for the price.

I was made blue by my sad Bleu Cheese Wedge carryout salad ($9.50). The largely yellow hunk of iceberg, tomato wedges and blue cheese crumbles came with one plastic cup of dressing that didn't do the job. And it didn't come with the bacon promised on the menu.

But we were supremely happy with the Cocina Supreme pizza ($18.75 12-inch, $20.75 16-inch). The thin-crust pizza with a nice chew arrived generously and gorgeously topped with clumps of Italian sausage, as well as pepperoni, onion, bell peppers, black olives and mushrooms, as well as marinara sauce and mozzarella. It, too, was supposed to have bacon. My companion swears it was on there, but I didn't notice it. I was still sulking over the bacon-less salad.

I'd revisit that salad when we'd dine in the restaurant, on a Saturday evening when the restaurant was a lot less lonely, with much better and more bacony results. My companion started his meal with a small Caesar and a serving of the soup of the day, a decent milky potato.

He chose one of Vesuvio's "Favorites," Chicken Parmesan ($12.75), and was impressed with the golden-fried, cheese-covered chicken breast nesting on a pile of spaghetti with marinara. It was Italian at its most comforting. Though it did seem strange that it didn't come with bread; if Vesuvio serves any besides the Bruschetta ($7) or Corrie's Cheese Roll ($8) appetizers, it never found its way to our table.

I chose the Lombata Grigilia ($30), which is apparently Italian for a 10-ounce grilled rib-eye that appears bigger. The large, lovely piece of beef was expertly charred outside while maintaining medium-rare perfection inside. The menu didn't say the steak would come with anything, but it was accompanied by plush risotto and a side of sauteed vegetables. Had I known, I would have done without the $3 topper of mellow, pale mushrooms that lacked presence.

A crisp canoli ($8), filled with sweet ricotta, dusted with powdered sugar, accented with maraschino cherries and drizzled with chocolate, was a rich way to end a meal, even if the price seemed a bit rich.

All kids meals -- cheese flatbread pizza, pasta or chicken tenders with fries -- are $5.

Children fit in just fine at the new, more relaxed Vesuvio.

Weekend on 10/26/2017