SLIDESHOW: More photos of La Grotta

When a restaurant's menu quotes critics from more than a decade ago, I wonder if the place is trying to ride the heck out of its laurels or if it still really is that good.

When I'm scanning a lengthy list of high-end wines and pricey entrées, the last thing I want to see is advertising. I'm already sitting at the table, so let the food allow me to form my opinion, not what someone else had to say long before some of us were old enough to drink.

La Grotta, the iconic Italian eatery cozily burrowed beneath the cobblestones of historic Shockoe Slip, lets you know on the wall, on the Web site and on the menu that, yes indeed, critics have liked what they do.

So is all this necessary?

No, because the food, the service and the atmosphere speak for themselves. La Grotta still really is that good.

Once I got down the stairs, past the framed reviews and into the fresh bread dipped in sun-dried black olive-walnut olive oil, what stuck me as ironic was how unassuming La Grotta actually is. White stucco, brick archways, hanging plants and wine bottles galore give the windowless space the feeling of a secret hideaway, a dark, romantic spot to waste hours in Barolo-soaked conversation.

Nothing about my recent dinner had the nauseating pomp and circumstance that many restaurants considered critics' pets feel they must display. Our server was outstanding -- on point with wine recommendations, appetizer suggestions, bottle service and knowing when to check in and when to disappear.

La Grotta's wine list ($27-$430) features plenty of sought-after reserves but also boasts a wide variety of mid-rangevarietals that won't send the check for two into unfathomable realms.

Our server wisely recommended Masi Masianco Pinot Grigio ($36), a slightly floral/slightly fruity white, after we mentioned we were interested in seafood and lighter meats.

Pleased with his wine recommendation, we deferred to him for appetizers, settling on Cape Sante ($12.95), baked scallops topped with jumbo lump crab meat, roasted bell peppers and breadcrumbs, and Peperoni In Bagna Caoda ($10.95), roasted bell peppers double cooked in garlic, anchovy, milk and olive oil.

Served on the half-shell, the scallops were rich without being stifling, enhanced by the subtle tang of the red and green peppers. They were good but not outstanding.

The bagna caoda, however, was the bigger hit. Unlike other variations I've had, it wasn't too salty or too intense. Double cooking the sauce brought the flavors down to a pleasantly sweet concoction begging for bread to sop it up.

In the past, I've been pleased with La Grotta's steak dishes -- sautéed filet mignon finished with green peppercorn and cognac sauce ($27.95), for example -- so this time, I was interested in trying pasta.

Spaghetti alla Scogliera ($19.95) was right up this seafood lover's alley. A boatload -- er, sorry -- of jumbo shrimp, scallops, clams, mussels and tender rings of calamari was kissed with a feisty, spicy tomato sauce. In all honesty, I could have done without the spaghetti, although it was nicely al dente.

Quaglie Ripiene ($23.95), two roasted boneless quails stuffed with wild mushrooms, chestnuts, sun-dried cranberries, veal and fresh sage, was obscene it was so good. The flavors were wonderfully complex, every bite eliciting a different sensation -- tangy and herbal one minute, earthy and robust the next. Natural pan juices kept the meat magically moist while toasted chestnuts added a tantalizing textural accent.

The quail was served with a swirl of mashed potatoes and steamed and blanched escarole, a crunchy yet pleasingly bitter foil to the stuffing's earthiness. Both were good, but I was completely captivated by the quail -- so much so that I'm having problems writing about it without jumping in the car for another round.

Just because it's been a decade since critics have raved about La Grotta in print doesn't mean it's lost its luster. Its classic yet skillful approach to Italian fare has this critic raving, and I don't plan to stop anytime soon.