Beef medallions Porto are pricey, but worth it.

Café Italia 505 W. Northwest Hwy, Grapevine. 817-251-0100. Mon-Sat 11am-10pm. Credit cards: AE, MC, V, D.

When Dean Martin sings about falling in love, he associates the experience with a big pizza pie. What is it about Italian food that makes us want to fall in love and swoon all over our dinner companion? Science has never been able to figure it out. The owners of Café Italia in Grapevine may not divulge the exact equation, but be certain of this -- they know the formula.

With a vintage version of Deano's classic "That's Amore" playing in your ear and a luscious feast on the table, it is easy to see where the connection between Italian food and falling in love started. This tiny restaurant on Northwest Highway in Grapevine is so good it only takes one bite for customers to start swooning.

Brothers Dino and Jimmy Ida are Italian/Armenian by birth, but it's their former home in New Jersey that you hear when they talk. The brothers moved to Texas two and a half years ago and ran Piccola Italia, a popular eatery in North Dallas. It didn't take long for them to fall out of love with the nightmarish traffic in that area. Their solution was to set up shop closer to home, and Grapevine residents should worship them for this choice.

Visitors to Café Italia will find Dino in the dining room taking care of customers while Jimmy stays in the kitchen, making sure everything is perfect. His ability is apparent from the moment salads and a small loaf of hot Italian bread arrive at the table. There was not one shred of iceberg lettuce in the mixed green salad, which was tossed with the house's tart, slightly sweet tomato-vinaigrette dressing.

A few slices of bruscette, a crispy toast made from Italian bread and topped with a fresh tomato-garlic-herb mixture, was perfect. The bread was crusty and the topping, which can make the best bread soggy, knew its place and never tried to soak into the toast.

Thin slices of eggplant took on a whole new texture and flavor for the eggplant Parmigiana. The simple vegetable is coated with a flour and egg mixture and sautéed to a crispy golden stage after it is ordered, not in advance. The eggplant is then bathed in a subtle tomato sauce, crowned with mozzarella cheese, and baked. The result is a spectacular, satisfying take on an Italian restaurant standby.

Beef medallions Porto is one of the priciest items on the menu, but go ahead and spend the money. You won't be disappointed. The tender circles of beef tenderloin were smothered in a dark sauce made from port wine and demi-glace. The rich, beefy demi-glace mingled with the sweetness of the port wine to create a dish that would definitely make you want to belt out a few Italian love songs yourself.

A fan of fresh broccoli and baby carrots accompanied the steak. The nearly raw vegetables were the only real disappointment in an otherwise flawless meal. A few more minutes in the steamer would have made a tremendous difference.

The menu boasts several dishes served with pink vodka sauce. The sauce is made from shallots sautéed with vodka, cream, and a touch of marinara sauce to make it pink. It is offered on lobster ravioli, shrimp fettuccini, tortellini, and rigatoni.

"Vodka dishes are very popular in the east, but down here, not a lot of people have it," Dino Ida said.

What would food of love (or love of food) be without desserts? Chocolate mousse cake delivered on its decadent promise with layers of rich, moist cake sandwiched with smooth, creamy chocolate mousse. And the tiramisu was perfect: ladyfinger cookies soaked in espresso spiked with Kahlua and marsala wine, topped off with buttery, creamy whipped mascarpone cheese, finished with a dash of cocoa powder. If the wine or vodka in your pasta didn't get you swooning, this dessert will do the trick.

The restaurant, which opened in November, is still waiting for its liquor license, but in the meantime, you can bring along your own wine. Regular customers keep a bottle of their favorite vino stashed on the restaurant's wine racks, which are filling up fast.

The restaurant is housed in a small boxy building that has served as a churn-out factory for Mexican and Chinese fast food. The textured walls are washed with a soft gold color. Filmy, gossamer gold curtains grace the arched windows to complete the Tuscan feel.

Café Italia is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. The wait can be lengthy on weekends, so reservations are suggested. The restaurant also has a small party room and does catering upon request.

There's plenty to sing about at Café Italia. Good thing the Ida brothers didn't install a karaoke machine.