Restaurant Guide 2006

If Sophia Loren were in town and you took her out to dinner, this would be the appropriate place. The classy interior of Giorgio's, all Roman yellow walls, gauzy romantic curtains and deco fixtures, is just the sort of restaurant where you might see a movie star. Chef Peter Schuh's elegant weekly menus fit the space accordingly and read like quizzes from Barron's Food Lover's Companion. Guinea hen en byaldi comes as small slices of fowl topped with a neat stack of ratatouille vegetables and impossibly sweet roasted heirloom tomatoes, fois gras tartine "with speck" features a dainty slice of toasted bread topped with buttery duck liver mousse and whisper-thin slices of Italian smoked pork belly. It's a wonderful journey into pure flavors and erudite European cooking technique. Though the menu may be intimidating to some, all will be understood upon tasting. (IM)