Rating:

The upscale Italian restaurant tucked into the Springfield Country Club is open to the public. Although we are often underwhelmed by the food served in the dining facilities of banquet halls and members-only clubs, we were pleasantly surprised by our experience at Tavola.

Our friendly, young server greeted us and seated us at one of the tables set with an ecru tablecloth topped with white paper, orange cloth napkins and a glowing hurricane candle. We eased into the comfortable leather nailhead chairs. The paintings by our table were more rustic still lifes, while those on the far wall were lighter street scenes of Europe, all in brown, orange and earth tones.

We ordered a Yuengling draft ($3.25) to start, and asked to see the wine list. Our server returned with the beer and asked for our wine selection. We told him we were still debating the meal selections, and then the wine, but we did want to try the brick oven Tavola pizza ($7.50) topped with fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, sausage and fresh garlic as an appetizer.

We suspect that our server was also busy with a large event in the nearby banquet hall since only a few other tables were occupied, some with families, on this mid-week evening.

He brought warm sesame seed-topped bread slices and butter when he returned to take our order.

We chose a bottle of 2007 Ruffino Il Leo Chianti ($40) as an appropriate wine for our Italian meal from those available by the glass ($6 to $9.50) or bottle ($27 to $45).

A tomato mozzarella salad ($7.50) was a large bowl of spring mix, grape and sliced tomatoes, and six Bocconcini (bite-size balls) of fresh cheese.

The tomatoes had flavor, but were not outstanding, possibly due to being so late in the season. The slightly sweet vinaigrette was applied too heavily for us, and we attempted to sample the salad from the edges of the dish, avoiding the center pool of dressing.

We expected the pizza to arrive at any time, but instead were presented with our entrée. After the large salad and generous portions on our plates, we forgot about the pizza altogether.

The Carnivore’s filet mignon ($25) was a thick, tender, large piece of meat topped with sliced mushrooms in gravy. The Dessert Hound even enjoyed the seared, mild flavor of the steak.

A large baked potato came with sides of sour cream and butter. A perfectly cooked vegetable medley of chunks of green and red pepper, squash and red onion was refreshingly served with little salt and oil. A purple orchid flower garnish completed the plate.

The Dessert Hound couldn’t finish her veal parmesan ($18), which brought a large piece of thin, tender veal, breaded and fried to a crispy coating. A layer of good, slightly tart marinara sauce and melted mozzarella and parmesan topped the veal, which covered most of the oval plate.

Underneath, a large serving of linguini without additional sauce filled the remaining space. The herb-flecked, fried breading was a good match for the flavorful marinara and cheese.

The menu contained tempting photos and descriptions of the desserts ($6 each) including carrot cake, Italian lemon cream cake, peanut butter pie, caramel apple pie and turtle cheesecake.

Since we were already full, and the desserts were purchased from an outside bakery, we decided to end our meal.

Good Italian food and fair service gets an overall rating of: four forks (out of 5). The Dining Duo base their reviews on unannounced anonymous visits.

Tavola

Location: 400 W. Sproul Road, Springfield (Springfield Country Club) Phone Number: 610-543-2100 Cuisine: Italian Ambience: Upscale club Hours: Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday: Brunch: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Dinner: 4 to 9 p.m. Prices: Appetizers, soups $5 to $9; Entrée $13 to $28 Alcoholic Beverages: Full-service bar Web site: www.tavolas.com Special features: Brick oven pizza