Tapas menus, long a staple at Spanish restaurants, have made it a lot easier for good-intentioned diners to enjoy a variety of dishes at one sitting without eating themselves under the table.

The concept manifests itself as dim sum at Chinese eateries, meze at Greek tavern's and small plates at Indian restaurants.

For Italians, dinner starts with an antipasto and typically goes on from there to main courses. But Gratto Italian Tapas Bar, which opened in mid-summer in Geneva by the same family that operates ZaZa's Italian Steakhouse in St. Charles, makes shared small plates its focal point.

At Gratto, everything on its frequently changing tapas menu (priced from $5-$13) is meant for sharing. The same is true of its larger pasta and main entrées ($11-$19), which the kitchen will allow diners to split at no extra charge.

Scallops di Luna delighted with its four pan-seared sea scallops, roasted fennel and gently cooked leeks, and flavorful sambuca (aniseed-flavored) hollandaise sauce.

Another sophisticated dish was carpaccio, thinly sliced raw beef tenderloin served with arugula, shaved celery and fennel, extra virgin olive oil, hollandaise and shaved Parmigiano. We also liked the tender grilled calamari paired with roasted red peppers.

Among other options were baked mozzarella-topped eggplant, Sicilian-style fried shrimp, baked clams, baked goat cheese with pomodoro (similar to marinara, only thicker) and insalata caprese. In addition, there are at least eight varieties of thin-crust pizzas one might order, from margarita with fresh mozzarella to traditional sausage, onion and green pepper, or a luxurious artichoke, mushroom, olive and prosciutto.

The pasta that we shared, penne con salmone ($14), was a tasty work of art, featuring the tubular pasta sautéed with Atlantic salmon, wild mushrooms and garlic in a cream sauce graced with a touch of tomato and Italian Parmesan cheese.

Also available were spinach ravioli, gnocchi in tomato sauce, veal tenderloin, grilled Italian sausage, sautéed chicken breast and roasted whitefish. The specials list included Linguine Vongole with sautéed Manila clams, rigatoni bosciolla (roast beef tenderloin tips), Fillet Oscar, beef tenderloin topped with crab meat and rack of lamb.

Of the desserts, only tiramisu is made on site, and it's a commendable version of the traditional cocoa-topped coffee flavor-accented mascarpone confection. Hazelnut gelato and three fruit sorbets -- pineapple, coconut and orange-tangerine -- were there, too.

Wines from a well-stocked bar are available by the glass and a number of bottles go for $40 or less.

Thomas Witom is a local free-lance writer.