Venue Review: Positano

8625 Lindholm Drive at Birkdale Village, Huntersville

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Named for a town on the Amalfi coast of Italy that's phenomenally picturesque, its buildings clinging to a tiered rocky hillside, Positano also clings to some rocky ground: a north-of-Charlotte vista that hasn't proven exactly fertile for mid-scale, original eateries.

The restaurant is tucked into Birkdale Village and displays photos and drawings of its namesake and a plethora of plates, along with owner Augusto Conte's usual pretty light fixtures, cream-and-gold palette and cozy, woody bar. Conte also has Toscana, Luce, Coco Osteria and MezzaNotte; this is his farthest venture north.

And it's a smart one.

The menu pitches to a diverse audience: those with knowledge of regional Italian cuisine and those without, those with time to loll over a leisurely meal and those without, those with money left after shopping and those without.

So it's a hardworking lineup that includes thin-crust, Italo-centric pizzas (lightly topped, with fresh mozzarella), osso buco (veal shank) and delicate potato gnocchi with tomato sauce; but also lasagna, an American-style cheese pizza and chicken parmesan – even, at lunch, subs. Those run $7, with pizzas and pastas $8-$10. At night, pastas are $13-$16, entrees $16-$25. A plate of fat, housemade ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach and sauced with a Bolognese meat sauce is $13.95.

And fine ravioli they are, the pasta thin but toothsome and the filling substantial but subtly seasoned. A nightly special of a whole branzino over vegetables produced a fairly small but meaty fish, filleted, over beautifully al dente zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, asparagus and onion. The osso buco's bone has marrow you can get to (spread it on your bread), and saffron risotto, the dish's classic accompaniment, on the side.

My only disappointment was a doughy soft center on a pizza; it was enough to induce me to skip pizza next time.

An appetizer of fried calamari arrived with strips of zucchini also nicely fried, all with a caper aioli and a cherry tomato sauce (cherry tomatoes are much used here) – a plentiful and nicely different first plate. Caesar salad was cold and fresh, with a nice crunch and a creamy, no-noticeable-anchovy version of its dressing, with crisp, sizeable croutons and shavings of cheese.

Servers tend to the young and male and Italian-looking, and cultivate a sense of ease and solicitousness that's smoother than the music, which leans a little heavy on the Sinatra style. But there's clearly a similarly toned collegial sense among customers, clustered at the bar one night watching a ballgame, or jammed into a booth on another night sharing tastes of entrees.

Desserts are made in house and cannoli fare quite well. Cappuccino is marvelous, while panna cotta (the “cooked cream” something like a custard, but lighter) is uneven; one night's was terrific, another night's just pretty good. Ricotta cheesecake is terrific: light, not too sweet and just the right portion (and just $5).

Positano (say “poe-zee-tah-noh”) offers a little picturesqueness, right where it's needed.