The tiramisu is made fresh daily.

It was to be a dark and stormy night for the whole weekend. That was the forecast two Fridays ago, when heavy rain threatened everything from apple festivals to Red Sox versus Yankees baseball.

So Jim Harris got creative. He sent out a mass e-mailing for an “I love this weather special” at his Pizzico Ristorante, in Providence. He wanted to motivate diners to brave the rain and wind and enjoy a meal at the Hope Street bistro. A coupon offered discounts for dinner — either buy one appetizer get one free, or $15 off the check.

The reality of running a restaurant today is that owners can’t afford many lost weekends. The profit margins are that slim. So they do what they have to in order to gain an edge.

How could I resist such a deal? So off into the rain I drove to check out this neighborhood spot with a sense of humor. And glad I was to have made reservations — under another name, of course. Restaurant critics don’t want to be found out and treated well and served lovely dishes. But all that happened anyway.

As busy as it was, and it was hopping, server Colleen and the other staff took attentive care with our multicourse feast. My only complaint about the rainy night at Pizzico is that I reached for the pepper shaker a lot, finding the food a tad under-seasoned for my tastes.

But I digress. The first thing I found helpful about Colleen were her suggestions. While we had no trouble choosing appetizers — a hearty bowl of pasta fagioli and an insalata of breseola (more about them later) — the entrée menu is quite large, with lots of very appealing choices.

There are seafood options, chicken and beef selections, and a wide variety of pasta dishes, including stuffed versions. From pasta Bolognese, with a hearty veal sauce, to ricotta gnocchi to mushroom tortellini, who knew what to choose? But Colleen said Pasta di Zucca, with pumpkin, was her favorite and I hadn’t even noticed it on the menu.

How perfect for fall a dish that began with pumpkin-stuffed half moons of pasta that were delicate in spite of that description. The sweetness of the pumpkin was beautifully balanced with a Parmesan cream sauce. It had just a touch of pesto in it, which added another layer of flavor before being reduced with cream and extra virgin olive oil to a rich sauce that penetrated the pasta. Fresh tomato slices also enhanced the flavor profile of the dish.

Deciding between tuna and sea bass, the Spigola was the perfect choice. A thick piece of sea bass was served over a lobster risotto that had big chunks of claw meat peaking out all around. Co-owner and executive chef Dan Teodoro applies a dry flour rub to the fish before searing it and finishing it in the oven. A delicate piece of sea bass is the result.

The fish was only the beginning. The risotto was excellent, enriched with a saffron shrimp broth and made meaty with the lobster pieces.

In an interview after the dinner, Harris, who bought Pizzico in 2001, said the Spigola has been a favorite dish since the beginning.

But let’s get back to those appetizers.

Bresaola is an air-dried salted beef that is served thinly sliced as an antipasto. At Pizzico, the slices surround a bed of arugula and are drizzled with a hint of lemon and white truffle-infused olive oil. The crowning touch is Grana, a cow’s milk cheese similar to Reggiano-Parmigiano, shaved over the greens. It’s a nice light appetizer that whets the palate for the meal that follows.

The pasta fagioli was full of those delicious beans that make the soup and the broth tasty and rich. It was the perfect size portion to enjoy.

With all of this, there are plenty of wines to choose from on the Pizzico wine list. We opted for a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with the sea bass and a glass of California meritage with the pasta.

The setting is comfortable, too. Pizzico has three long dining rooms and a bar against the back wall. Its size is deceptive, seating 130. But with some nooks and corners, it’s easy to enjoy private tables.

Still, my favorite part of the meal at Pizzico was how the food had a lightness of being that allowed for a total enjoyment of dessert.

The Carmellata — a custard, flan-like dessert — was satisfying with just the right amount of sweetness and a perfect texture. But the tiramisu was one of the best versions I have had. It was so remarkably fresh and, again, the trademark was a lightness. Teodoro confirmed they make the dessert daily — and that makes all the difference.

When the meal was done and the dishes removed, my bad weather coupon took $15 off the check, bringing the feast bill to less than $100. It was a worthy meal and a fair price for heading out into a dark and stormy night. Bill of fare

A dinner for two at Pizzico might look like this:

Glass Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc…$8.25

Glass Hahn Meritage…$8.50

Pasta fagioli…$6.99

Bresaola…$12.99

Spigola (sea bass)…$26.99

Pasta Di Zucca…$18.99

Tiramisu…$7.50

Caramellata…$7.99

Total food and drink…$98.20

Tax…$7.85

Tip…$20.00

Total…$126.04

Pizzico Ristorante, 762 Hope St., Providence, (401) 421-4114, wwwpizzicoristorante.com. Casually upscale. Reservations. On-street parking. AE, D, DC, MC, V. Wheelchair accessible. Highchairs. Dinner served seven nights 5-9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday; until 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday. Appetizers $9.99-$15.99; entrées $15.99-$34.99. Extensive wine list.

gciampa@projo.com