Mario Carbone runs restaurants. But he calls his Major Food Group a storytelling company, a statement that makes sense when you visit Santina, a culinary establishment where every inch of space is dedicated to convincing patrons they’re dining in a fictional Italian coastal province circa 1962.

That statement also makes sense when you consider that Major Food is famous for rethinking cuisines that aren’t typically rethought (like old-school Italian-American fare), and for subverting standard culinary narratives, using better ingredients to transform traditionally cheap dishes, like clams casino, into spendier luxuries. But while the Mediterranean fare is very good at Santina, it’s not a significant departure from the cuisine of other seaside Italian venues. The food is tasty and affordable, but the ideas and stories behind it just aren’t as head-turning as they should be. Still, I award TWO STARS for Eater!

Click through for the full review. (Photo: Daniel Krieger/Eater)