In northern Italy, along Lake Como, you’ll find Mandello del Lario, a city famous for manufacturing Moto Guzzi motorcycles since 1921 and less famous for some of the more interesting restaurants in the region.

There, in the La Pizzeria-Trattoria Rosalba — a crazy cheap pizzeria in the industrial part of town — I had my first brush with handfuls of sage in Italian cooking and the enormous influence herbs like rosemary have on Italian cuisine. Those, along with their better known companions like basil and oregano, became part of how I have come to understand Mediterranean cooking and the importance of these robust flavors in Italian dishes.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

Dishes at Spaghetti Western in downtown Fargo come from such a place. The food is good at Spaghetti Western — and it’s not what passes for Italian cuisine in the Americanized catalogue of Italian food. But “good” is not the same as thoughtful — and that’s what Spaghetti Western brings to the table.

First, house-baked bread and olive tapenade is brought to the table. It’s fresh, savory and smokey. What came next caught my attention: a Tuscan tomato soup ($9) thickened with bread and cheese and touched with little details like a drizzle of olive oil, which made it both substantial and — if you gave it a little time on your tongue — subtle.

Eric Daeuber / Contributed

The sage is most obvious in the lemon and ricotta tagliolini ($18), where its musty, earthy aromas and flavors come together with bright summertime lemon. This is when you know that you’re not in an Olive Garden. I’m a fan of their breadsticks and salad as is much of America, but it’s not the same as a place where real and recognizable Northern Italian flavors come out so clearly.

Another place to find those traditional expressions of the Italian commitment to substantial, flavor-forward dishes is the braised beef ($26) served on the wide, house-made pappardelle noodles. The noodles soak up a sauce that comes from the slow-roasted chuck roast. This process brings out the fat needed to make such a rich expression of traditional Tuscan comfort food.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

The menu includes some recognizable favorites like spaghetti and arrabbiata, but it’s fun to explore the house-made options on Spaghetti Western’s fairly short menu. Those dishes really give you a feel for the kind of hands-on preparation that Italian cooking is famous for.

For this kind of experience, the gnocchi ($20) shines. In order for it to retain its light and fluffy texture (something that’s lost in the dense overworked texture that occurs in mechanically produced gnocchi), it has to be made by hand. For those who are familiar with “Godfather III,” you know what this looks like. Baked with mozzarella and basil, it comes across lighter and cleaner than you could possibly experience with a commercial pasta.

Eric Daeuber / Contributed

The wine list is entirely Italian, but it’s reasonably priced and you can find quite a few excellent options under $10 a glass. The Montecroce Cortese ($8) is appropriate to most dishes. It has literal roots in the culinary history of Northern Italy and is a good option for something light and not at all intrusive.

The atmosphere is sparse but comfortable. It tries to make something of a theme that goes with Sergio Leone’s cinematic interpretation of the American west, but the food is all Italian. The dining room is relatively small and there isn’t much to dull the noise so it can be a bit loud.

Service is excellent. Our reserved table was 20 minutes late in getting ready, but the wait staff went out of their way to make our wait comfortable and reminded us at the end of our meal that they appreciated our patience.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

I haven’t seen that kind of consideration in Fargo in a very long time. The staff knew the menu inside and out and could recite ingredients for menu items without hesitation. You will know what you will be getting if you ask. Again, this is uncommon.

Since Fargo lost Toscana

and

Moorhead lost Sarello’s

, we’ve been waiting for an option like this. It’s popular. And it’s a small dining space. Be sure to make a reservation.

524 North Broadway
Fargo, North Dakota 58102

Eric Daeuber / Contributed

Hours: Monday to Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8:30 p.m.
Phone: 701-532-4699
Cuisine: Italian
Reservations accepted: Yes
Alcohol: Beer and wine

Food: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Ambiance: 2.5 stars