The stylish interior has remained much the same. The main change is what surrounds it.

What was once jokingly known as "Deadwood City" has been revitalized. Many pin the transformation on the restoration of the Fox Theatre and the Courthouse, and the opening in 2006 of the multiplex theater. Chef-owner Donato Scotti is hoping to achieve a similar transformation with the food he's serving at Donato.

I happened to make my first trip on a Friday evening during an arts festival. With so many people milling around some might almost mistake the nearby Courthouse Square for Union Square.

This time of year it's a tough choice whether to ask for a seat on the expansive patio to enjoy the goings-on at the City Hall plaza or inside where there are three distinct rooms, each with a different feel. The entrance opens onto a casual trattoria with a bustling open kitchen and dining counter. A hallway lined with wine racks leads to the bar where diners sit at a communal table or in one of the comfortable leather chairs, with windows overlooking outdoor seating. In back there's the wine room with a more formal feel. Carpet replaces the concrete floors and tables are set with white cloths and candles in square silver holders.

Over the course of my visits I sat in all three rooms; their appeal depends on your mood. My mood depends on the food. It was generally good, but at times a little maddening because of careless missteps in such things as a tepid balsamic-drizzled steak ($24).

Every flaw was easily fixable, especially given Scotti's credentials. A native of Bergamo, he worked in Italy before heading to the United States. He cooked in New York and then at the groundbreaking Valentino in Los Angeles. He then moved to Northern California as the chef of Il Fornaio, and in 2004 went to La Strada in Palo Alto.

Now he's his own boss and creating dishes not otherwise available on the Peninsula. His soulful skills emerge on the bruschetta of hand-pulled wild boar on grilled ciabatta ($8), the texture of the meat enhanced by the sweet, piquant Chianti vinegar and a hint of onion.

His approach also works with lighter dishes such as octopus carpaccio ($8) sprinkled with red rock salt and drizzled with olive oil. He also has mastered the art of the light fry with artichokes ($7), with the creamy heart attached to feathers of crisp-fried leaves, alongside a ramekin of minty dipping sauce.

We asked for salt because the hearts needed a lift. So did the fava bean salad ($7) with thin slices of Chioggia and golden beets and thin flakes of pecorino cheese.

All the pastas, in fact, seemed undersalted, though I couldn't quibble with the quality, whether it's the agnolotti del pin ($14) with a tomato sauce thick with ground meat, or ravioli with fava and ricotta ($13) with arugula pesto and peeled cherry tomatoes. My favorite was bigoli with oxtail sugo ($14) in a sauce fortified with Sangiovese. The thick, slightly chewy pasta was a perfect foil to hearty meat sauce.

I also warmed to the slightly charred pizza crust, but as with the pasta, I looked to the salt shaker to add high notes to the toppings. There are only three: margherita ($10); one with tomatoes, roasted garlic, olives, capers and calamari ($10); and homemade sausage, broccoli rabe and mozzarella ($11).

The highlight of the main courses is whole grilled sea bass ($25), crowded onto a plate with grilled fennel and tomatoes. There's a lot going on in the sea bream ($18) where the sauteed fish anchors tomato broth filled with prawns, mussels and clams.

Oven-baked veal shank is good ($19), particularly with the thick bed of sauteed chard, but the must-order meat item is chicken ($16) roasted in a terra cotta casserole with big wedges of crusty potatoes, olives that are slightly browned, and cippolini onions, also nicely caramelized.

At dessert, avoid the gelatinous, too-sweet panna cotta ($8) layered with strawberry compote, and the overbaked shortbread-like muffin with roasted peaches ($8), and head for the sorbetto ($7) or warm chocolate hazelnut cake ($9).

The service, like some of the food, depends on the night you're there. On one visit the waiter was excellent, but on two others the situation was rocky.

One time we were greeted with, "Can I bring you a bottle of sparkling water?" I thought it was going to be a night of upselling, but it was merely an evening of incompetence. I ordered pasta as an appetizer course and it came as a main course. When I told the busboy the problem, he immediately informed our waiter, who ignored us for five minutes before coming over and asking if we still wanted the chicken. I did, simply because I needed to taste it for the review. It ended up being one of the most memorable dishes. On another visit, we had to ask for utensils and the table was never cleaned properly.

So while Redwood City may be revitalized, Donato pleasantly teases the senses, but is still under construction.

Michael Bauer is The Chronicle's restaurant critic. E-mail him at mbauer@sfchronicle.com, follow him at @michaelbauer1 on Twitter, and to go sfgate.com/food to read his blog and previous reviews.

This article appeared on page K - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle