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In any instance, magic happens when bread meets oil. But it’s almost too much to bear when a pillowy, foot-long Italian loaf is baked crisp, doused in parmesan and dried herbs, and perched in a glistening pool of olive oil too big for its own good. The bread’s crusty exterior lets go, merges with the pale green liquid, and transforms into something almost fried, addictive and incredibly comforting like potato chips in front of the television.

With all that herby oil and with the sheer size of the loaf, a knife and fork were better tools for carving it than our hands. But that didn’t make its disappearance any slower. Within minutes, half the D’Agostino bread was gone ($7).

“You’ve got to get this stuff away from me,” my husband told our waiter, who politely acquiesced.

It was a Thursday night and we’d come to D’Agostino’s after a concert at the Shaw Center for the Arts, two doors down. As we sampled our next course, succulent escargot bathed in herbed butter, the novelty of what we were experiencing occurred to me: We’d just seen legendary singer-songwriters Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt and Joe Ely, and afterwards, we were able to grab a bite at one of a handful of nearby restaurants. It might not be such a big deal if it hadn’t been such a long time coming. Let’s not forget it was only a few years back that the Pastime Lounge was the only thing open for dinner. And still, plenty of investors today pooh-pooh the area’s nighttime numbers. Good for D’Agostino’s, and other pioneers like them.

The vibe here is stately and mature. It’s hardly recognizable from the space’s previous life as a spartan, colorless Mediterranean lunch spot. Inside, it’s dimly-lit, rust-hued, and set off by wrought iron and glass-topped white tablecloths. A bar is demarcated by frosted, glass-trimmed dark wood. Beefy, chairs-on-wheels give it a chop-house feel—an appropriate match for the menu, which features red-sauced Italian fare, premium steaks, and plenty of big seafood and veal.

In fact, big is the order of the day. In the six-chambered ramekin before me sat 12, not six, fat snails, and each one was soaked within an inch of its life in warm butter sauce ($10). Ridiculously rich, they were complemented by the B.R. Cohn Silver Label Cabernet Sauvignon, which, while overpriced at $13 a glass, sliced through the fat with clean fruit and a dry finish.

I’d hoped for more from the soup du jour, cream of mushroom with tiny shreds of basil and spinach. Rather than fill the mouth with the woodiness of mushrooms, it just seemed wildly thick and frothy ($5).

We fared well with our entrees. The veal piccata was accented by tangy artichoke hearts and a brown butter sauce and I loved that the medallions were left thick and cooked medium rare ($18). We also tried the fish special, redfish Meuniere with crab fingers. The kitchen had to eighty-six the crab fingers (no doubt from the onslaught of fellow concert goers), but the huge paneed fish fillet was springy and succulent ($18).

For dessert, we had Frangelico mousse ($6), something I’d fallen in love with at the nearby Little Village, where the D’Agostino’s chef once worked. This time around, it was velvety and perfectly palatable after such a heavy meal, but it seemed void of both hazelnut and the super-light, gossamer texture I’d remembered. The homemade cannoli was off-the-charts good, its muscular cream spiked with plenty of nutmeg and its shell balanced between crispy and dense ($6).

We also visited D’Agostino’s for lunch. The place has hooked downtown professionals in the mood for a meal beyond a po’boy. The lunch menu departs only slightly from dinner, adding daily specials, a handful of main course salads, a muffaletta and a few wraps.

We started with the soup du jour, a well-textured, fragrant pureed tomato basil. We also tried the toasted ravioli appetizer, six ricotta-stuffed crispy round ravioli big as coasters and accompanied by a side of signature red gravy ($8). All nuance was lost in the over-the-top dish, which tasted too much like fried cheese.

The Italian sausage and spaghetti was well-executed. I’m not a devotee of sweet sauce, but it worked here. The sausages were moist and tender, not overcooked or dry as they can be in this dish ($8). Our fish special, a pair of tuna medallions and a pair of scallops, was set off with tangy lemon butter sauce and tender julienned squash and carrots. The tuna was unfortunately cooked to well done and the scallops, gritty ($13). Finally, the muffaletta had all the right components and looked genuine, although the bread was dry ($7).

During both visits, the wait staff was timely, understated and genuinely concerned about our satisfaction.