In the year since its move from Royal Palm Pointe to Ocean Drive, Ti Amo Sempre has established itself as a beachside favorite. So it was no surprise to find the northern Italian trattoria virtually full at 7:30 on a dog-day August Saturday night.

Dinner, as usual, got off to a good start. Warm bread quickly arrived served with herb-infused dipping oil, and our waiter, Bernardo, is one Ti Amo's gems.

When our wine choice was out-of-stock, he quickly returned with a more expensive bottle of Nero Davola, a Sicilian wine that was a better (and pricier) pick than our choice, which was generously offered to us at the same price.

As we awaited our appetizer of calamari fritti ($9.95), a tasty preparation with flash-fried spinach and lemon, the engaging male half of the ownership couple, Vincenzo (Enzo) Perucchini, came by to chat about the wines and food of his native Verona.

But from that point, the evening began to take on a different trajectory.

My Caesar salad ($5.95), topped by two small anchovies, had an extremely light dressing and very little taste. My companion's mista salad ($5.95), field greens with cherry tomators, black olives, feta cheese and balsamic vinaigrette, proved only a slightly better choice.

Then came the main courses. I had the Saltimbocca alla Romana ($19.95), a classic Roman dish where veal scaloppini is layered with prosciutto and fresh sage. Generally dredged in a light flour and sauteed, which gives it a nice crust, this dish is usually a sensory delight.

But while the thin slices of veal were extremely tender, each was topped by a single wafer thin, close to invisible, piece of prosciutto not adequate to add the salty taste prosciutto should impart to this dish. Nor was there any hint of a crust.

Instead, the veal and prosciutto were totally overwhelmed by the sage. If you are a huge fan of sage, you might have liked this presentation. It was not my favorite rendition of this dish.

My companion on this evening had the Puttannesca con Gamberetti ($20.95), shrimp sauteed with garlic, capers, kalamata olives, anchovices, and fresh tomatoes tossed with penne pasta.

The shrimp were cooked perfectly, and there was nothing really wrong with this dish -- but the overall taste did not draw any raves, either.

We concluded the dinner with Ti Amo's very tasty tiramisu ($5.00) and a cup of espresso ($3.00). Dinner for two with a nice bottle of wine came to $113.15 before tip.

We have had a number of fine dinners at Ti Amo, and expect to have more in the years ahead. It is a very well run restaurant with hands-on, caring owners and an inventive cuisine that on many occasions has delighted.

But on this night, we left the restaurant feeling just a bit disappointed.