RESTAURANT REVIEW:

First impressions and gossip are a dangerous combination. I know that, but I almost let both affect my opinion of Ristorante Mamma Gina.

A couple of friends have said the restaurant was not worth the price. Entrees are steep, dinner prices range from $15.95 to $33.95, and I was a bit stunned that prosciutto and melon was $10.95.

I decided, however, to drag my friends Mark and Diane along with me. The restaurant was named in an Entertainment Book, so we figured we could counter the prices with our card.

It was a Saturday night, and the dining room had six tables occupied. The busiest day of the week, and the room is half full? Fortunately, we got a booth with a harbor view.

The family-owned Newport Beach restaurant has been around since 1996.

The original restaurant is in Florence, Italy, and the northern Italian-style cooking is evident throughout the menu.

Fresh vegetables, herbs and spices are staples of this region’s cuisine. Tomatoes, zucchini, garlic, sage and basil are some of the items sprinkled throughout both appetizers and entrees.

The prices did keep us from trying most of the appetizers, especially since we forgot the discount card at home. I just wasn’t up for paying $12.95 for steamed clams or $14.95 for a jumbo shrimp cocktail.

I must admit, the carpaccio Mamma Gina looked enticing. The thinly sliced prime beef tenderloin is topped with arugula and shaved Parmesan cheese. It is seasoned with lemon juice and cold pressed Tuscan extra virgin olive oil.

The focaccia and French bread went well with the olive spread. Garlic and anchovies added an interesting taste.

Our waitress was friendly and talked one of my friends into the house specialty, the Lombatina Alpina, a grilled double center cut 18-ounce bone in veal chop.

It was incredible, one of the best pieces of meat I have ever tasted. Mark and Diane were equally impressed. The imported wild porcini mushroom Alpina sauce was a perfect complement to the meat that was cooked consistently medium throughout and had a little char on the outside.

It is one of several veal dishes they serve. There is an osso buco, a scaloppine and a Marsala as well.

Diane got a chicken with bow tie pasta and a vodka tomato sauce that at first she didn’t like. But after a couple more bites the dish grew on her, and the smokiness of the chicken breast pieces worked with the zesty sauce. I thought the chicken was a bit dry.

My dish was the risotto Porto Cervo — a risotto with Maine lobster, gulf shrimp and bay scallops in a vodka mascarpone cheese sauce. I was worried when I saw it, because it looked runny, a common complaint of mine with risotto, but it was cooked well. I was disappointed that I got two pieces of lobster, though the shrimp and scallops were abundant.

As the meal ended I asked Mark and Diane whether they would come back. They said they would, despite their reservations about the prices. As I was looking over the lunch menu, I suggested we come back for lunch.

The lunch menu looks more reasonably priced and also features pizzas as well as lunch specials.

One aspect that would bring me back is the wine list. It is very impressive and has been a Wine Spectator award winner for many years. There is an ample amount of Italian and California whites and reds.

The restaurant takes care in preparing the menu, and each dish has a distinctive personality. If you are willing to pay for that attention to detail, it is worth the cost.

ADDRESS: 251 E. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach

PHONE: (949) 673-9500

CUISINE: Italian

SPECIALTY DISH: Lombatina Alpina

ALCOHOL SERVED: full bar

DRESS: casual/dressy

FAMILY FRIENDLY: yes

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED: American Express, Visa and MasterCard

RATING: ***

JOHN REGER is the Pilot’s restaurant critic. His reviews run Thursdays.