REVIEW: Ristorante Tremonti makes me smile. 
The Woodbridge restaurant is of a type rarely encountered downtown: A formal dining room with an Italian menu that is strictly a jumping-off point for negotiations with the chef. Like the idea of fresh spaghetti alla chitarra but without the proffered amatriciana sauce? Prefer the texturally perfect pasta strands dressed instead with just olive oil, garlic and hot pepper flakes? As you wish.

Such flexibility is second nature to Tremonti's exemplary staff. Ask for french fries, an off-menu item, and they appear free of charge. Tell the waiter about a new artificial sweetener and it's on the table for your next visit. "People don't just come here to eat. They want to be part of the action, so we take their suggestions," explains owner Claudio Librando. Librando is the fountainhead of Tremonti's assured hospitality. The veteran restaurateur – his Amarone at Yonge and Sheppard drew crowds for 20 years – bought Tremonti a few years ago from its original Abruzesse owners.

To date, Tremonti is one of the most popular Italian restaurants in Vaughan.