THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Vespa

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Vespa Restaurant Review:

Snappy, snazzy and packed with a trendy Federal Hill crowd, tiny Vespa lives up to the la dolce vita standard of its namesake Italian motorbike. Pretty things line the bar, which is separated from the dining area by exactly nothing. The roar of the crowd makes conversation near impossible, but who cares? We're out to see-and-be-seen, to sip good wine and to nosh on lots of little plates, maybe some spicy grilled shrimp with spinach and eggplant and a little sambuca-and-coffee-cured salmon or a Gorgonzola and caramelized onion pizza. Add a salad, and it sounds like dinner. Entrées like the pear-glazed chicken and the grilled tenderloin with mushroom risotto have their charms, but somehow picking at a little of this and that over a bottle of inexpensive Italian red best captures the spirit of the place.