Of all the newfound successes on Lincoln Road, the seat in most demandright now is at Da Leo, a classy trattoria with stylish, delicious food. It'spatterned after the original Da Leo, opened in the early 20th Century in theItalian city of Lucca by a fellow named Baron Leopoldo Marchi, who foundhimself suddenly without money or talent save the ability to cook.

The light-colored walls of Da Leo bear black-and-white photographs ofItaly, some of them possessions of the Baron and posted in the old Da Leo, themenu says. Free-standing table lamps shine light on the photos and onto thesturdy banquettes and tables; the indoor seating is cramped, but thankfullysmoking is banned. Outdoor tables have overspread halfway across the mall, andthat's probably as far as they'll be allowed to go. Service is brisk andoriented to turnover, which is the only option when you have a popular placeand a dozen tables inside.

The clientele wavers table to table from family-oriented to fabulous;eating elbow-to-elbow on our visit were a nuclear unit with three kids, apassel of bouffanted Gallery Walkers and the orange-haired MTV Latino veejayRuth Infarinato, who attempted to keep a low profile in the corner despitegiving the appearance of being on fire.

The food is outstanding and inexpensive. Pasta dishes are generally $5to $7; a salad and a bowl of pasta are plenty for most anyone. That's takinginto account that Da Leo has what's likely the best house salad on the face ofthe earth. Normally, $3.75 gets you a huge plate on which a handful ofdelicate greens have been arranged beneath a little kindling fire of juliennecarrots. The greens are here, too, in a giant bowl filled with arugula,radicchio, spinach, romaine and more exotic and therefore unrecognizable babyfield greens that taste good. The carrots are half-dollars, not shavings.There are green and yellow peppers, red onions, celery, tomato, all of it inabundance, with no iceberg. The flavors meld perfectly with the simple oliveoil and balsamic vinegar dressing. For $7.25, you get enough salad to passaround a table of four, though the small one might suffice.

Bruschetta -- Italian toasts with chopped plum tomato, olive oil andbasil -- are served free at the start, and you get plain Italian bread later.Wine is reasonably priced and available in various carafe sizes. Appetizersare traditional Toscana -- carpaccio, prosciutto and melon, mozzarella andtomatoes caprese. The tomatoes and cheese ($6.95), four thick slices of cheeseand four of tomato, feature outstanding, delicate mozzarella and ripe,flavorful tomatoes, all adrizzle with olive oil and snipped fresh basil.Carpaccio of salmon ($7.95) is a delicious if pricey curio; the salmon issliced so thin you can see through it, which is desirable for this dish butnot conducive to hearty eating. It's laced with lemon and served with mixedwild greens.

Soup of the day ($3.75) was white bean, a thick, plain stew of beans andbits of ham, barely seasoned or flavored; our Italian friends tell us this iscorrectly done, not to be confused with the more interesting pasta e fagioli.Salt and pepper made this good, but not as thrilling as some of the otheritems.

Best entree in a world of pastas, oddly enough, was sauteed chickenbreast ($8.95). A whole boneless breast, split in two, was sizzled in a wineand sage sauce to the ideal stage of doneness, served with a handful ofoven-roasted potatoes and a mix of cauliflower and julienne carrots andzucchini.

Of three pastas we tried, the best was a special -- shells puttanesca($7.95). Briny black olives, capers and essence of anchovy are the backbone ofthis dish, its saltiness balanced by olive oil and tomato. Less oily than mostrenditions we've tried. Tomato and basilico ($5.95), simple penne with tomatoand basil, was solid if unspectacular. The basil was there, the pasta wascooked perfectly, but the tomatoes weren't assertive enough to control theflavor of the dish. Rigatoni with gorgonzola ($6.25) was simple, rich andterrific, with a creamy white sauce strongly flavored with the pungent veinedcheese.

Other pastas include the spicy-hot arrabbiata, pesto, primavera and ragu(a simple meat sauce, not a jar). There is a special pasta each day, plus afish dish (generally $12.95); osso buco with risotto is $14.95.

To some, the test of the Italian restaurant is its tiramisu, and thedelicate Da Leo version passes easily. Two layers of ladyfingers, two layersof cream, shaved chocolate on top -- it's all here, with pleasant balance andtexture. Knock it back, of course, with unsweetened espresso.