Though open for only a few weeks, Salvatore's restaurant in Medford shows much promise.  It is located at 55 High Street, the former site of the Depositor's Trust Bank, notorious for an incident back in 1980 when police officers were among a crew that broke into the vault over Memorial Day weekend.  The restaurant has turned the vault into a museum about this incident. 

I dropped by for dinner and found a good-sized restaurant with a lengthy, oval bar. The large front windows look out onto High Street and near the front of the restaurant is a fireplace surrounded by comfortable chairs and a couch.  The décor has plenty of dark cherry wood and it presents an elegant but still casual ambiance.  It is a place well suited to family night, a romantic date or a drink after work.

Full Bar, Basic Wine List

They have a full bar, with martinis and signature cocktails for only $8. The wine list is reasonably priced, with glasses costing $5-$8, though I would have preferred a better selection of wines, rather than the same common wines you find everywhere.  The food menu has many of the usual Italian dishes, including veal marsala, lobster ravioli, lasagna, and eggplant parmigiana. The menu is reasonably priced, with appetizers ranging $5-$12, entrees $14-$28, and pizzas $12-$20.

Ample, Quality Food

The Mozzarella in Carrozza ($7) appetizer consists of five, creamy buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto sandwiches with pesto aioli, though you can have marinara sauce too. They were like crisp, fried ravioli with a salty tang of prosciutto and were quite tasty, a nice start to dinner.  The Signature Salad ($7) has mixed greens, gorgonzola cheese, apple pieces and a light, house Italian dressing.  A good-sized dish, the freshness and flavor combinations appealed to me. 

The Pollo Parmigiana ($18) entrée is a huge, thick piece of chicken, which was moist, tender and covered by a crisp and tasty coating. It was accompanied by about a dozen huge rigatoni, which seemed a bit undercooked and were not that compelling. The Tiramisu ($7) was also large and thick, with a side of whipped cream.  It was a creamy delight, an excellent ending, which is sure to please, though I suggest it be shared.

Overall Approval

Service was very good, attentive and accomodating.   Overall, portions are ample, prices are reasonable and quality is very good.  They are open for both lunch and dinner, and I am sure to return.  I recommend this restaurant, and suspect it will become a popular spot in Medford.

(Note: Salvatore's has other locations in Boston and Lawrence.)

Richard Auffrey is a life-long resident of Massachusetts, a licensed attorney and has been involved in food and wine writing for about five years. He currently  writes a food, wine, saké and spirits blog, The Passionate Foodie.