While much of Miami was still without power last weekend, I was never so happy to walk into a restaurant as I was when I stepped into South Beach's Grazie where tables of cheerful diners clinked glasses, chatted loudly and indulged in comforting dishes of Italian food.

Since I had already visited this handsome Pinecrest transplant twice before in the last few months, it seemed just the right place to find refuge from the long lines and short tempers I encountered elsewhere in my Miami Beach neighborhood. I promised myself not to take notes or pay attention to any shortcomings in food since suppliers might not be totally up to speed less than a week after Wilma.

It turns out I didn't need to worry. The food was the same as it was on my pre-storm visits -- mostly very good though not great. I guess with prices that rival Casa Tua and Escopazzo -- minus the luxe ingredients such as fresh truffles, lobster, hand-rolled pastas, wild boar, chanterelle mushrooms and burrata -- I expected more.

But the one thing that Grazie has on its competition is hospitality. Much as they did for their successful eight-year run down south, owners Israeli Moshe Petel and his Honduran partner Spurgeon Solomon, who worked as waiters for many years at Osteria del Teatro, have mastered the art of making every diner feel welcome while a cadre of veteran servers ensure that dishes come out fast and hot.

As inviting as the service usually is, I met up with one waiter who sneered when we looked at the wines on the cheaper side of the menu ($34-$99) though many of them are marked up an outrageous three, four or even five times over retail. The imposing mustachioed server suggested I consider the menu of special cellar selections ($67 to $550) listed with their Wine Spectator ratings, since many were offered that night at a discount.

He could not tell me which ones, however. So, we made do with a tepid Cloud Nine pinot noir from Oregon and a drinkable California Menage a Trois blend. A bland California Merlot by Blackstone, which can be found in most local grocery stores for about $9, is sold here by the glass for that much. Well, I guess this isn't the 'burbs anymore, and rent in the middle of Washington Avenue clubville must be high.

The space, opened in January, literally glows with warm burnished cherry and mahogany toned woods, amber light sconces, gleaming marble and crisp white tablecloths, each topped with a single candle. Ambient music drifting from the bar speakers can lean toward overpowering, but mostly it is perfectly suited to the mix of well-groomed diners who make this place a regular stop.

The kitchen succeeds most with dishes that are simplest. For example, a fantastic daily special, a dairyless carrot soup, was the essence of earthy root vegetables, especially with the garlicky kick of crunchy croutons. Caesar salad served in a mound with a creamy dressing may have lacked authenticity (and anchovies) but was a fresh and crisp delight. So too a well-balanced arugula salad with endive, shallots and goat cheese in a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette.

Likewise, al dente fettuccine alla carbonara in a thick cream-laden sauce dotted with chunks of salty pancetta was deliciously rich and a godsend to anyone without power. However, the sauce was nothing like the genuine, silky, egg yolk-based version from The Boot.

Penne in a competent pink vodka sauce for $17 and angel hair dotted with fresh tomatoes and basil for $15 are fine for those willing to spend that kind of dough for dishes that could be made at home for pennies. A hearty plate of custardy polenta with hunks of loosely stuffed spicy sausages in a rich brown sauce was one of the best dishes there.

Also excellent: the buttery slivers of tuna carpaccio served with a lively roasted pepper coulis and diced tomatoes with shallots and capers.

The misnamed but luscious pulcino scarpariello (the modest dish, which means ''in the shoemaker style,'' should be pollo scarpariello unless Italians starting eating day-old chicks recently) consists of a half-dozen tender young legs and wings in a thick red wine sauce with spicy sausages, kalamata olives, red cherry peppers, lots of garlic and rosemary. It's served like most entrees -- with sides of carrot purée, discs of white potatoes and baby bouquets of broccoli.

A beef tenderloin served beautifully medium rare with a juicy center and topped with Gorgonzola is an occasional special that ranks among the highest priced items. You can safely skip the mundane Caprese salad that on two visits consisted of chewy rounds of mozzarella and hard tomatoes that tasted more like drink coasters than fruit. Mussels were chewy from too long on the fire, though the flavorful tomato sauce makes for good bread dipping if you tire of the pesto in oil that comes at the beginning of the meal.

Though not at all extraordinary, the desserts -- including a fluffy cheesecake with a nutty pecan crust and a hot molten chocolate cake with ice cream -- are worthy finishes to a homey meal. On the other hand, the chocolate heaven, a flourless chocolate cake, was full of rich flavor but a bit dry. Like most of the dishes here that have lofty aspirations, it was good -- though far from celestial.