Located in the historic Gem-Noble building in downtown Boise, Asiago's seeks to combine familiar Italian flavors and time honored techniques with a touch of innovation. The dining area is rustic-chic at best with grapevines, wooden tables and a carefully embossed map of Italy on a bare brick wall.

The menus takes an occasional detour from the recognizable route, so among appetizers, expect to find walnut-pesto risotto cakes stuffed with Fontina and fried golden or fresh mushrooms sautéed in champagne and butter, finished with gremolata. An invigorating pasta course might feature a rich tomato-pesto sauce resting on a bed of spaghettini with a grilled spicy Italian sausage, then move on to try a beef tenderloin filet with a bacon-balsamic onion crust over whiskey-horseradish sauce. If you're counting calories a low-carb dinner of Creole spiced salmon filet finished with citrus infused foam may be a good option. Then round it off, perhaps, with an espresso crème brûlée or lime-mascarpone tart.