Few Utah County restaurants can boast waiters in crisp white shirts and ties (girls included) and the occasional song from an opera singer to entertain you while you wine and dine.

Provo’s Ottavio’s Ristorante Italiano can boast just that, as well as a delicious menu served up in a classy atmosphere.

Located on Historic Center Street, the restaurant has a simple exterior, which is outshone by the beautiful dining room and Italian-style decor inside. Deep red and black chairs and booths complement the granite tabletops, matching the large wall murals depicting scenes from Italy.

Strains of accordion music can be heard throughout the restaurant, played by the friendly traveling accordion player who serenades the guests. The night we dropped by, his specialty seemed to be performing Disney movie classics (though that might have been for the high school crowd that was enjoying dinner before heading to the Sweethearts Dance). Occasionally the entertainment included a song from the talented opera singer (who was — thankfully — not singing the Disney tunes).

To start our meal, our young friendly waiter brought by a basket of thick, warm, herb bread and bottles of oil and vinegar for dipping. The heavenly bread (we’re still wishing we would have taken the waiter up on his offer of seconds) goes well with a side of creamy minestrone soup. Unlike many versions of the soup we’ve tasted, this wasn’t thick with vegetables, but rather had more of an emphasis on the richly seasoned broth.

The half serving of the spinach salad was plenty for two people to share with an overflowing heaping of fresh spinach topped with olives and a sprinkling of feta cheese.

Though we felt sort of silly ordering a pizza at a nice restaurant like Ottavio’s, we just couldn’t resist trying the 12-inch vegetarian gourmet pizza. At $11.25, it was surprisingly comparative in price to other gourmet pizza places, though the brick-oven taste and thickly sliced toppings made it unique.

The vegetarian pizza was heavy on the toppings and light on the cheese, making the pizza more hearty and flavorful than other greasy and cheesy versions.

The Stuffed Shells Florentine was a delicious dish of large pasta shells filled with a blend of spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and herbs and spices. We opted to try the shells with the marinara sauce and weren’t disappointed. Our only complaint would be that the dish was served extremely hot — as in steam and bubbles escaping when we cut it with our fork.

Overall, we enjoyed our experience at Ottavio’s. The classy atmosphere and delicious food was a refreshing break from the normal spaghetti and marinara variety Italian restaurant.

Ottavio’s Ristorante Italiano

Where: 77 E. Center Street, Provo

Family Call: Meager on the kids meal options.

Cost: $6.50-$19.95

Info: 377-9555, ottavios.com