The Pomodoro Grill, which has been serving up great brick-oven pizzas from the first-floor of an office building on Cardinal Drive for more than a decade, is one of the Vero Beach barrier island's better-kept fine-dining secrets.

The reason many island residents keep returning to this attractively decorated Tuscan trattoria is not the pizza (though that is worth coming back for), but for veal, chicken and seafood entrees that match up favorably with the offerings of the best of the area's upscale restaurants.

On a recent summer evening, we were seated immediately (which does not always occur in season), and one of Pomodoro's veteran waiters, Fernando, quickly arrived tableside to offer up the specials of the day and take drink orders.

On this evening, one of the specials was a veal chop and the other was mahi-mahi (aka dolphin). I ordered the veal chop, while one of my companions had the veal "Picasso" and the other ordered the chicken marsala.

Forgoing any of the appetizers -- the calamari fra diavolo ($9.95) at the next table looked spectacular -- we started with the very nice field-green-and-tomato-salads that come with every dinner, and munched on Pomodoro's addictive, olive-oil-basted garlic rolls,

Before we could ask for three more orders of the garlic rolls (just kidding), the entrees arrived.

The veal chop ($36.95) was one of the biggest and best we have seen recently, tender, perfectly grilled medium rare, served in a portabella mushroom reduction sauce, and accompanied by a side of angel hair pasta. (At our request, the pasta was prepared in garlic-and-olive-oil rather than in the customary marinara sauce.).

The veal Picasso ($20.95), a scaloppini sauteed with fire-roasted tri-color bell peppers, artichoke hearts and portabella mushrooms finished in a light sherry wine sauce, got high marks from one of my companions.

The chicken Marsalla ($17.95), breast of chicken also sauteed in marsala wine and flavored with a reduction sauce that included portabella mushrooms, also was pronounced a first-rate rendition. Instead of pasta, she opted for the side of fresh veggies, which on this night consisted of zucchini (good) and yellow squash (okay).

For desert, we split a delicious tiramisu ($4.95) served in a goblet -- one of the best Vero Beach tiramisus we have enjoyed -- accompanied by espresso ($2.95).

Any restaurant that is still going strong after 13 years is probably doing something right, and the Pomodoro Grill -- in our estimation -- is doing a lot of things right.

If you are looking for fine Italian food, attentive service, good wine -- or just a great pizza -- Pomodoro is an excellent choice.

Dinner for three accompanied by a modest bottle of wine came to $124 before tip.