The tables in this pretty Northern Italian restaurant might be too close together, and it might be a tad noisy on a busy night, but the food more than compensates for these slight inconveniences. We ordered a bottle of wonderful Barbera d'Alba ($32) and it magically worked with most of our dishes. For appetizer, we shared bruschetta with liver pâté cavolo nero (black Tuscan kale), and pecorino romano. The pâté was creamy and intense, the kale was savory, and the thick country bread was grilled to perfection.

The pasta course was easy to choose; beef short rib and fig cannelloni was begging to be sampled. I had high expectations, but the dish overcame them. Two big pasta tubes with crisp tops were filled with short rib so tender it melted in the mouth. Figs added a wonderful sweet counterpoint to the meaty filling and the sauce of intense broth. Just when we thought that this would be the highlight of the evening, the waitress brought braised beef cheeks with lentils and savoy cabbage. The meat fell apart at the slightest touch of the fork, its texture so delicate, and flavor so intense. Tuscan grill must specialize in tough cuts of meat turned into culinary delights. We also tried the fish of the day - seared hake with potato cake, braised fennel and mussels. The fish was perfectly cooked, moist and tender, but lacked flavor and could benefit from a sauce. It was a good dish, but nothing to write home about. We were too full, but couldn't resist apple and berry crisp with ginger ice cream.

Next time you are in the mood for creative Italian fare, there is no need to head to North end, battle for parking, pay outrageous prices, and deal with rude waiters. Instead, go to Tuscan grill in Waltham were deliciousness rules and every entree is under $20.