Tucked away in the middle of Garfield Street, Andiamo restaurant is probably the quintessential neighborhood trattoria of Santa Fe, a town that seems tohave a disproportionate number of Italian restaurants. With not a lot of hoopla or fanfare, Joan Gillcrist and her staff have been satisfying locals with their rustic Italian fare for almost eight years.
The building at 322 Garfield has a long and checkered past. It was first opened back in the 1980's as the Garfield Grill, a tiny restaurant featuring innovative "California" cuisine. Although the food was absolutely first-rate, the business didn't survive more than a few years. It resurfaced as a restaurant several times, once featuring Cajun food, then starring Thai cuisine. The location seem jinxed.
Finally, Gillcrist opened Andiamo in June of 1995. Even in these difficult times for Santa Fe restaurants, the restaurant appears to be thriving, and isoften packed on the weekends.
Growing up in Houston and Austin, Gillcrist had a Santa Fe connection when her parents, Dan and Barbara, moved here from Texas in 1988. If the name Gillcrist has a familiar ring to it, it's probably because her sister, Marion, developed a reputation here as one of Santa Fe's highly respected chefs.
After stints on the floor and in the kitchen of Pranzo, Santacafe, Geronimo, and La Traviata; Joan developed a friendship with Chris Galvin, then chefing at Cafe Escalera. Returning to Dallas, she worked for awhile with Marion and established a catering business there. With that experience behind her, Joan was convinced that she could succeed with her own restaurant.
Returning to Santa Fe, Joan and Chris decided to team up and launch their restaurant, with Chris running the kitchen and Joan the front of the houseand business end. From their experience at Escalerathey felt the emphasis should be on the use of fresh ingredients, but decided to go with a traditional Italian slant and at modest prices. Andiamo has been true to that vision from the very start; a true Santa Fe version of the neighborhood Italian trattoria.
The Escalera employees would often show up at Andiamo on their nights off. Other local chefs would often make their appearance for dinner. As a frequent diner there, I often see many of the same locals getting their Italian fix as well.
After deciding Italian food was to be the focus, Chris went to the Italian dictionary and finally came up with the name Andiamo, Italian for "let's go." In retrospect, not the most original name. There are Andiamo restaurants scattered throughout the country, and Italy. By coincidence, one of Joan's fellow Stanford classmates owns the Andiamo in Sacramento; an Andiamo that I can vouch doesn't hold a candle to the Santa Fe version. Not only that, the Andiamo name is also used for a line of luggage, a number of cruise ships, a line of biking and athletic underwear, and even a brand of motor scooters. Fortunately, the name is trademarked here in New Mexico.
With the departure of Chris in early 1999, Stephen Parra stepped up to head chef, and has been there ever since.  The focus remains on fresh ingredients, with a selection of appetizers, pizzas, pastas, and meat entrees. The menu changes every few months as seasonal ingredients come and go. The soup changes nightly, as does a pasta and a fish entree. Monday nights feature a ravioli special.
One of the genuine attractions of Andiamo is its wine list. Joan's emphasis is on a list that delivers interesting wines at a reasonable value. Using one of the slimmest markups of any Santa Fe restaurant, the prices are typically twice retail or below. Although the preponderance is Italian wines, she fleshes out the list with an intelligent selection of bottles from mostly California, but also Oregon, France, Australia, and New Zealand. About a dozen wines are poured by the glass, changing frequently. An even bigger attraction is the large selection of wines by the half bottle; not often seen in many restaurants and a godsend for the solitary diner.
Early on, Joan developed a real love for the wines of Ridge Vineyards in California. She usually carries for or five different Ridges on the list at any one time, more than are usually found in most restaurants across the country. A dinner featuring Ridge Vineyards is currently in the planning for later in the year.
In addition to great food and great wines, Andiamo has a certain feel o it that is seldom found in other restaurants; a feel one found in such special places as Cafe Escalera and e.k.mas. The wait staff are attentive and skilled, but also exudes a certain warmth that makes diners at Andiamo feel welcomed. When you walk in the front door, they make you feel that they are privileged to serve you. Too many restaurants are unable to instill that attitude in their wait staff. And with many locals dining there frequently, they develop a certain rapport with many of the waiters. Yet, when a new face or an obvious tourist appears at the door, they are greeted with the same welcoming attitude that regulars receive.
With her marriage to Will Strong, and the arrival of their small sonAlex, on the scene; life has become a bit more complicated for Joan. With Will doing much of the computer work and database management (while still keeping his day job as an investment advisor), and a very competent staff, Joan has managed to keep Andiamo running on an even keel. Yet it has not lapsed into a formulaic operation that sometimes happens to restaurants with busyowners.  It still has heart, and it still makes you say, "hey, let's go to Andiamo."

If you're looking for some great pan-Mediterranean nosh in a bright, charming environment, make reservations at Andiamo! (Italian for "Let's go!"). My dinner companion was so impressed, he plans to take some out-of-town guests there next weekend. Andiamo!'s waitstaff were gentle, calm, graciously efficient people who appeared to enjoy their jobs. They even seemed actually to like the clientele.

Our maitre d'hotel took us to a table we didn't like. Without batting a lash, without a hint of aggression or annoyance, upon our request he moved us into a quiet corner. We marveled. Our waitress then sailed over with a little basket of delicious Sage Bakehouse bread and a welcoming smile. In less than a minute, we'd moved from the doorway to a comfortable table, were happily ensconced there with big glasses of water, yummy bread and an interesting, reasonably priced menu. Our waitress told us about the specials and their prices.

The only dip in this island of contentment was the canned music. Why isn't the murmur of diners' conversation enough? Why is intrusive loudspeaker music mandatory at social gatherings? Andiamo!'s menu presented enticing options. Our challenge was to narrow the choices. The very warm June evening encouraged us to start with something light.

We chose an old standby, endive and frisee (curly chicory) salad with pears, Roquefort and candied pecans ($7). The chef had dressed the lettuces with a wonderful lemon vinaigrette that imbued the "usual" with a fresh point of view. The salad danced with flavor. So did Andiamo!'s Parma prosciutto with Belgian endive, white truffle oil and Parmesan cheese ($7.50). It was a meal in itself. Usually prosciutto gets served in skimpy, skin-thin, too-lean portions. A little scoop of mesclun rounds it out.

At Andiamo! the beautifully larded, perfectly thin pads of Parma ham covered the plate and dozens of crisp pieces of pale-yellow endive. The remarkable appetizer, flecked with slivers of scallion, coated with aromatic truffle oil and lemon dressing, and accented with shards of excellent cheese, sent us into ecstasy.

For our entrees, we picked linguine with Manila clams, capers, olives and tomatoes ($14.50), and a grilled veal chop with rustic tomato sauce, garlic mashed potato and sauteed greens ($17.50). Our clams were glorious. The huge flat bowl brimmed with fragrant broth and shellfish. Soft little chunks of tomato, capers and olives were mixed with the clams. Unfortunately the linguine, though cooked al dente, was slippery and wet. A homemade linguine would have made the dish perfect. Although we liked the garlic mashed potatoes and the beautifully steamed, tart red chard, the veal chop wasn't wonderful. Tough to cut, even with a steak knife, our large, thick chop didn't have much of a grilled undertaste either.

The veal had gristle and fat at its edges. That was particularly unappetizing because the mass of quite tasty rustic sauce masked where the meat ended and the fat began. Chomping down on a wiggly clump of gristle was a downer.

We drank a glass of Felasco's Vitiano '97 red ($7 a glass). Neither of us ever had heard of it, so we gave it a go. It's a sharp, hearty blend of cabernet, merlot and Sangiovese.

Andiamo!'s desserts were mixed. Profiteroles ($5.50) had that thick, slightly stodgy-chewy consistency we thought came from a freezer box. The vanilla ice cream had no personality and was a gooey meltdown by the time we got it. But the bittersweet-chocolate sauce was nice.

On the other hand, the zabaglione semifreddo (half-cold) with dried cherries and a dusting of walnut praline ($5.50) was gorgeous. Zabaglione is a soft custard of egg yolks, marsala and sugar. Whipped up to a heavenly froth in a bain-marie (water bath), it's usually served warm.
Andiamo!'s chef cleverly froze the zabaglione, transforming it into a splendid ice. The dried cherries added a perfect tart understaste to the sweetly liquored custard.

With coffee ($2 a cup) and before tip, the tab for two came to $75.35.

Though tucked away in an old house off the corner of Garfield and Guadalupe, Andiamo! seems to exclaim its presence. Lets go! it calls out in Italian to indecisive diners. So one evening, we went.
We discovered that Andiamo! offers a charming and comfortable eating experience, with three dining rooms and landscaped outdoor patios for summer nights. The Italian cuisine is hearty but sophisticated.

Appetizers ranged from an Antipasto Plate ($7) to Crispy Polenta With Rosemary and Gorgonzola Sauce ($6). The House Salad ($5) presented a goodly assortment of fresh greens. The polenta dish and the salads dressing were tasty without overpowering the senses with too much cheese. The soup du jour was chock full of solid, chewable white beans in a spicy and creamy tomato infusion. At $4.50, it was flavorful but could have been warmer. Pizzas come with a variety of toppings ($5 to $6.50 for a small, $7.50 to $8.50 for a large) and were popular with other diners. A dozen entre selections covered the gamut of beef, chicken, seafood and pastas. The Pan-seared Chicken Livers With Polenta, Shiitake Mushrooms, Peppers and Radicchio ($12.50) was a perfect portion. The livers were tender, with just a touch of pink in the middle, and blended texturally with the tangy fungi.

The Grilled Salmon ($14.50) was fresh but a little too fishy- tasting, as occasionally can happen with an oily fish during certain seasons. We sent it back in favor of Linguini With Shrimp, Shallots, Capers, Olives and Tomato in Olive Oil ($14.50), a simple-sounding dish thats actually quite challenging to execute well.

The pasta al dente balanced perfectly with delicate shrimp cooked just right. Potatoes in a tomato-dominated light broth laced with a medley of spices accompanied Manila clams.

Dinner only from 5:30 p.m.
Reservations recommended, especially on weekends

Produce from the Farmers' Market across the street adds to the seasonal surprises of this intimate restaurant inspired by northern Italian cuisine.

Fresh ingredients, natural meats, and homemade desserts are guaranteed.

Try the crispy polenta with rosemary and Gorgonzola sauce for an appetizer and, if you want to go casual, a pizza or, for heartier fare, the linguine puttanesca with grilled tuna.

Quite a few new restaurants have sprung up in Santa Fe over the past few years, several of which were created by defectors of some of the city's most popular eateries.

Andiamo! is one of those making a successful go of it. Chris Galvin, once the sous chef at Cafe Escalera, has joined forces with business partner Joan Gillcrist at this fine restaurant. They have created an authentically Tuscan atmosphere in which a daily changing menu features antipasto, pasta, and excellent desserts.

Still, as with many of these little spin-offs, you tend to feel a bit cramped in the space, and noise levels can get out of hand.

I enjoyed the Caesar salad and the penne with merguez, with a bit of musky flavor from the lamb sausage. For dessert, I'd recommend the polenta pound cake with lemon créme Anglaise. Beer and wine are served at this nonsmoking restaurant.