Est! Est! Est!

19 W. Hargett St., Raleigh.

890-4500.

Cuisine: Italian.

Rating: ***

Prices: entrees $11 to $16.

Atmosphere: casually romantic.

Service: knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

Recommended: pastas, seafood dishes.

Open: Lunch Monday-Friday, dinner Monday-Saturday.

Reservations: accepted for parties of 5 or more.

Other: Visa, MasterCard; full bar; vegetarian-friendly; kid-tolerant.

The N&O's critic dines anonymously; the newspaper pays for all meals. We rank restaurants in four categories:

**** Among the

Triangle's very best.

*** Rewarding

experience.

** Generally acceptable.

* Hit-or-miss.

See Greg Cox's weekly

e-picurean column and check out the searchable restaurant database at http://triangle.com/dining/.

This story was originally published April 4, 2003 at 3:00 AM with the headline "Est! Est! Est!."