4 out of 5 stars

2349 Central Ave., St. Pete.

Appetizers: $6-$14; entrees: $13-$23; desserts: $7-$8; beer/wine/cocktails: $5-$11.

Italian food has long been a perennial favorite for American diners. After all, who doesn’t love pizza and pasta? But we’ve come a long way from the mom-and-pop menus dominated by red sauce served with dozens of options.

Contemporary chefs are returning to the roots and diversity of Italian cuisine across the spectrum of regional styles throughout the country. The best Italian dishes have always been about the freshest ingredients presented simply without the fussiness that accompanies the complexity of French haute cuisine technique.

Sophia’s Cucina + Enoteca is a good example of a focused menu emphasizing finesse and pure flavors. Chef Alex Rodriguez expands on the delicious snacks that he and his wine-loving wife, Kelly, serve up at their splendid Lolita’s Wine Market.

Their new welcoming space in St. Pete’s Grand Central District offers booths, high tops and bar seating all under the watchful eye of a huge, humorous black-and-white photo quartet of women battling spaghetti. Even on a weeknight, the place is buzzing and with the current trend toward the industrial design of hanging Edison bulbs and exposed ceilings, the noise and heat levels rise as the crowd multiplies. Luckily, the food is worth it.

We begin with a delightful burrata and panzanella salad. The toasted, herb-speckled bread cubes sit on crescents of seeded cucumber, dark ripe olives, and frisée lightly dressed with balanced white balsamic vinaigrette. The ball of creamy cheese is spread across the top with lush curds spilling down. An adjacent schmear of almond romesco, a few twists of cracked pepper and a sprinkling microgreens provide contrasting flavors.

Even better is a beautiful thin-sliced carpaccio of ruby red marbled Wagyu beef. The heirloom tomatoes listed on the menu are absent, but the pile of peppery arugula and artichoke hearts topped with delicate ribbons of shaved Parmesan more than suffice. The beef is drizzled with a full-flavored zig-zag of truffle aioli and dotted with tiny capers. A thick fig balsamic reduction circles the perimeter with two crisp EVOO-coated crostini balancing the plate.

The entrees also demonstrate the care and attention to detail Chef Rodriguez demands of his kitchen. A scrumptious bowl of ravioli stuffed with a mix of creamy ricotta plus corn, leeks, and porcini mushrooms has plenty of flavor on its own. But the addition of garlic cloves (roasted to tame this potentially overwhelming allium) and pesto vinaigrette punches up the flavors. And adding texture and acidity from radicchio-apple slaw elevates this multidimensional dish.

The bowl of rigatoni Vesuvio looks ordinary; it appears to be just simple pasta swathed in sauce. But there’s Houdini-like magic when you take a bite. First of all, the pasta is al dente perfect and the combo of bits of chicken, Italian sausage, and sun-dried tomatoes is completely seductive. The flecks of basil and grated Parmesan cling to the rigatoni as they glisten with a cream sauce that uses just a touch of truffle oil to thrilling effect.

The Parmigiana switch-up is to substitute juicy pork tenderloin for veal; classic eggplant is also available. The pounded meat is breaded and a crisp, golden brown. There’s a ladle of pomodoro sauce, a dollop of burrata, and squirts of syrupy vincotto to round out the grace notes. While the menu lists arugula, our plate has a nice mixture of lightly dressed baby greens including radicchio and frisée.

Lemon butter-white wine sauce shimmers on the seared swordfish piccata, which sits in a bowl of creamy pecorino risotto. Three shades of heirloom baby carrots hug the fish and remind you that it is possible to coax sweet goodness from the earth. There’s also a large caper berry garnish and a sprinkling of fresh parsley plus some briny capers on the fillet.

Pastry chef Megan Barnes delivers with an absolutely sensational limoncello cheesecake. The individual round is circled with a triple spiral of glistening tart sauce topped with a trio of Italian wedding cookie nuggets dusted with powdered sugar. The bottom crust provides welcome crunch and the lemon flavors are intense, even explosive. The piped cream, topped with a white chocolate cigarette balancing a fresh strawberry wedge, is light and pure.

An oblong dish cradles three split profiteroles. Each puff filled with a different, delightful ice cream — chocolate hazelnut, vanilla sea salt, and pistachio. There’s a side dish of warm chocolate sauce that our server spoons over the top at the table. I’d prefer to skip that step and leave it as a dipping sauce. The chocolate is assertive and overwhelms the abundant nuances of the ice creams.

As with Lolita’s, Kelly R’s wine list is diverse and affordable. She manages to mine the great Italian grapes and regions with selections well-matched for the entire menu. And the service is friendly and attentive. Sophia’s brings another satisfying, sophisticated Italian spin to St. Pete’s rich restaurant scene; I can’t wait to return.

CL Food Critic Jon Palmer Claridge dines anonymously when reviewing. Check out the explanation of his rating system, or email him at food@creativeloafing.com.

Want to know everything going on with Tampa Bay's food and drink scene? Sign up for our Bites newsletter.