The red cocktail is the Pomegranate Martini; the blue drink is the Azzurra Dolie.

PROVIDENCE — There couldn’t have been a nicer surprise on a cold winter night than being greeted by a warm fire as we were seated next to one of the two fireplaces in the main dining room at the Blue Grotto on Federal Hill.

Although there wasn’t any crackle nor scent of burning wood from the gas fire, it was only the first of many happy surprises as we sampled the menu.

The Blue Grotto is one of those venerable establishments that everyone knows because it seems to have been around forever. Yes, the Blue Grotto has been serving food at this white-fronted building with blue accents since 1980. Mike Danahy bought it from previous owners Dick and Diane Macera two years ago and plans extensive renovations both inside and out.

Already there are new windows that open out to the street for warm summer evenings. More importantly, Danahy installed executive chef Robert Hanson in the kitchen. They’ve known each other since Danahy was general manager of Chardonnay’s in Seekonk and Hanson was its sous chef. “We always got along well together,” Danahy said when I phoned following our visit. Judging from our recent meals, Hanson has a sure hand and a readiness to put a new spin on familiar dishes, such as topping a tender piece of veal with big chunks of lobster meat in a tomato cream sauce. All the pasta, he said, including lobster ravioli, which contains chunks of lobster meat, are made in house.

The main dining room has the feel of an elegant gentleman’s club with its blue and white tablecloths on enormous tables — most seating four or more easily — stately chandeliers, subdued patterned carpeting, soft Italian music and light wood used both for wainscoting and the fireplace trim, not to mention those fireplaces themselves. In reality, there are two adjoining main dining rooms, each with its own fireplace, which can be closed off into two rooms for private parties. The larger of the two is separated from the long bar by a wall with a series of arches cut into it. At the front entrance there’s a small room with only three tables that looks like it’s ready for very private gatherings.

Danahy said he wants to change these rooms to give them a more modern feel, yet without losing the Old World character of the place. Already he has added new menu items, cut the prices of some familiar ones, taken down ornate chandeliers in favor of simpler ones and taken the wait staff out of their tuxedos to make the place seem less stuffy.

The room with the fireplaces put us in a sophisticated mood. After all, most diners were better dressed than what you generally find today in most American restaurants. Some of the men wore ties and even — gasp! — jackets. This seemed very unusual, since most Americans dress — whether they’re going to a fancy restaurant, the theater or church — as if they’re on their way to a football game at the local high school.

It was the kind of place where we felt guilty stealing the dinner menu out of one of the menu books, something we’ve become pretty adept at doing for fear of tipping our hand by asking for a menu to go at the end. Then we held our breaths as the menu books, with one of them now minus its menu, were brought to the couple that had just been seated at the next table. Miraculously, the menu was in her book and he didn’t open his! We felt even guiltier as we were leaving and the hostess offered us small-sized copies of both the dinner and lunch menus. (Lunch features some dinner items as well as grilled pizzas and paninis. I returned the next day to try the prosciutto pizza, which also contains sun-dried tomato paste and lots of mozzarella, and was very pleased with it.)

But that was all in the future as we started with a pair of the restaurant’s colorful signature drinks. My Azzura Dolie ($8) was appropriately blue, since azzura translates from the Italian as blue. Vodka was mixed with strained sweet pineapple and then infused with blue curacao for a drink that had more than a little hint of the islands in the pineapple. My dining companion’s Pomegranate Martini ($8) was a touch sweeter with its mix of pomegranate liqueur, raspberry vodka and a splash of cranberry juice. The raspberries won out in the flavor contest.

We loved the crusty Italian bread that we dipped in a fragrant sauce of olive oil that had been boosted by a sprig of rosemary and sun-dried tomatoes in its little bottle.

Appetizers at the Blue Grotto range from the familiar — fried calamari, bruschetta, an antipasto — to the seldom seen — veal carpaccio with red onion, capers, basil oil and a horseradish aioli.

From the seldom-seen group we chose the Funghi Ripieni ($9), a very large roasted stuffed portabella mushroom cap topped with shaved romano and roasted red peppers drizzled with white truffle oil. The huge mushroom was wonderfully meaty, its delicate flavor not hidden but only enhanced by the rich topping that had just the right touch of the drizzled oil.

From the familiar grouping it was the Calamari Fritti, but here the tender, lightly fried squid had been tossed with basil, a good number of sun-dried tomatoes, a small number of spicy green cherry peppers and balsamic dressing. The tomatoes and balsamic dressing, most of it at the bottom of the dish so you could dip in for as much as suited your taste, gave the dish a cozy sweetness while the peppers added just enough tang for a bit of a bite that wasn’t overwhelming. It was an enormous portion, much larger than anticipated, and could easily serve two.

In the middle of all this, my dining companion decided to try a wine flight from the several on the drink menu. Autumn in Italy ($8) sounded just right, what with three 2-ounce-each servings of three white wines from Italy — a fruity 2005 Antinori Orvietto; a 2004 Umani Ronchi Verdicchio, with its delicate aromas and a hint of almonds; a 2005 Maso Canali Pinot Grigio, with hints of tropical fruit and a taste that the menu promised would be “the pinnacle of pinot grigio,” a boast that my dining companion seconded.

For entrees I had the Filetto di Manzo ($27), a grilled filet mignon topped by a pancetta hash that included a tiny dice of roasted beets, sweet potato and celery root, plus a surprisingly sweet port wine reduction. The topping was delicious, with a bit of welcome crunch from the celery. But my first two bites of the meat were “a bit chewy,” as I put it to my dining companion. Preparing to be disappointed, it turned out that only the first half inch or so of one side of the filet was chewy. The rest was marvelously tender, cooked to a perfect medium turn with a pink center.

My companion’s Vitellina Della Regina ($26) won raves from both of us. A good-sized slice of pounded-thin veal scallopine had been topped with large chunks of sauteed lobster meat, then smothered in a wonderfully sweet and tempting pink-orange tomato cream sauce with sherry. One bite and I guarantee you’ll want another and then another.

Served home style was a big plate-to-be-shared of roasted vegetables — firm yet tender and delicious roasted red potatoes, al-dente green beans and slices of yellow squash and zucchini. The selection was so good I wouldn’t have been disappointed if this were all that had been served.

Other entree temptations included Papardelle Bolognese ($19); farfalle pasta with Italian sausage, broccoli rabe and sliced garlic ($18); homemade lobster ravioli ($23); veal saltimbocca ($22); cioppino ($26); chicken parmigiana ($18).

Desserts, made in house by pastry chef Shemry Brown, were presented on tray by our friendly and knowledgeable waiter. All house made, they included a cheesecake and a caramel creme brulee. I couldn’t resist the Triple Chocolate Torte ($8), a chocoholic’s dream of a densely fudgy cake that had a chocolate mousse center and chocolate ganache on top with chopped almonds on the side. My companion’s bread pudding ($7), with swirls of raspberry sauce and apples inside, was another delicious choice and a perfect topper to a memorable meal.BILL OF FARE

Dinner for two at the Blue Grotto might look like this:

Azzura dolie…$8.00

Pomegranate martini…$8.00

Autumn in Italy wine flight…$8.00

Calamari fritti…$9.00

Funghi ripieni…$9.00

Vitellina Della Regina…$26.00

Filetto di Manzo…$27.00

Bread pudding…$7.00

Triple chocolate torte…$8.00

Total food and drink…$110.00

Tax (state and city)…$8.80

Tip…$22.00

Total bill…$140.80

Blue Grotto Restaurant, 210 Atwells Ave., Providence. (401) 272-9030, www.bluegrottorestaurant.com. Upscale casual. Reservations taken. Complimentary valet parking. Wheelchair accessible. Children’s seats available. AE, DIS, MC, V. Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mon.-Fri.; dinner 5 to 10 p.m. Mon.-Thur., to 10:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat., noon to 9 p.m. Sun. Appetizers $8 to $13; entrees $16 to $29. Wines $6 to $16 by the glass; $24 to $195 for a bottle.

More, please! This restaurant’s menu, and recent reviews and menus: projo.com/food

mjanuson@projo.com