It is one of the enduring conundrums of eating out in Tokyo: How come, when we are blessed with so many great little bargain bistros, there aren't just as many no-frills trattoria?
We're not interested in La Boheme or the Capricciosa chain (though they do have their place). We're talking about the independents -- young chefs working with dedication and checkered tablecloths, bringing us honest home cooking at honest prices. You can find a three-course French dinner for, say, 3,000 yen in almost any neighborhood these days. So why hasn't the same thing happened with Italian food?
We know it can be done -- we had dinner just the other night at Taverna Vivace. This splendid little place, which opened in April in nether Azabu, proves once and for all that, in the right hands, basic home-style country cucina can be every bit as satisfying -- and as easy on the budget -- as its French equivalent.