Thick and Tart Passion fruit is the latest flavor in the line of mellow vinegar-based sauces called Vignettes.

Take a deliberate miss on the leathery, overcooked chicken and scallion kebabs ($11.75), but give the savory, stuffed cabbage in a mellow, rustic sauce a try (when it's hot, it's good).

It arrives at the table piping hot, with each circle burnished by the glistening, mahogany-colored, piquant but mellow sauce ($10.95).

The large, fleshy sea bass was served upright atop a mellow, chunky sauce with a slightly sweet and spicy edge.

It was in a rich, reduced soy sauce glaze atop soft rice cakes, which absorbed the mellow sauce.

Chicken is a good evening entree bet too, especially the generous portion of sauteed balsamic chicken, which is pan-seared and sauteed in a dark, tangy, mellow sauce.

The same can be said of the heady zuppa di pesce, the rich veal ragu served on pasta, Tony's mellow red sauce.

Traditionalists are likely to insist that no wine belongs on the same table as these ingredients, even if their distinctive flavors are slightly masked by a mellow sauce.

Less familiar dishes include halusky - thin, light noodles served in a creamy, mellow sauce made with sheep's milk cheese.

Arrayed around these all-stars were staples like nan, rice pulao and the mellow yogurt-based sauce called raita.