Spring is here, and Bistro Mezzaluna onHilton Head Island has the deck ready-it's a wonderful place to dine, have tapasand drink wine under the stars. Chef VitoLoGrasso will join the staff in April. He'llreinforce the restaurant's catering divisionfor groups of up to 150 and for luncheons,parties and dinners at Lowcountry homesand businesses. With The Heritage golftournament on the horizon, let Bistro Mezzalunalighten your entertaining load.

LoGrasso and his family are from Sicily.They settled in Brooklyn, NY as the ownersof several Italian restaurants and also own"A Villa Louisa," a large restaurant, banquetand catering establishment in Bolton,Conn. Personable and talented, LoGrassospeaks fluent Italian and is a master ofItalian cuisine. His specialties include thinlysliced beef rolled with seasoned breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese, baked andserved with marinara sauce.

In addition to a diverse regular menu,Bistro Mezzaluna offers nightly specials includingSnapper Marichiari. Sautèed red snapper is complementedby clams and mussels with marinara, overlinguini. Shrimp Emmy is gently sautèed largeshrimp with sundried tomatoes, a hint of garlic in aMediterranean sauce and goat cheese. It's servedwith tagliatelle pasta.

For a lighter appetite, the beautiful cucumbersalad is a good choice ($8.95, with grilled chickenadd $5) Thinly sliced cucumbers make a bowl filledwith fresh salad greens. It's surrounded by goatcheese, tomatoes and mandarin oranges. Mediterraneandressing completes the dish.

Appetizers include a colossal shrimp cocktailand a diver scallop over cheese ravioli. The dessertmenu stars limoncello gelato, tiramisu, spumoniand house-made canoli. New additions to the winelist are Layercake Shiraz, Grgich Hills Estate FumeBlanc and Zardetto Prosecco.

If you've lived in the Lowcountry for a while, youmay remember the "jam sessions" at Big Rocco's.This popular event has found a new home at BistroMezzaluna, where it's called "Live on Stage" andfeatures Tommy Beaumont and Mark Husbands& Co. Joining them will be Steve Ryder, Dean St.Hillaire, Tommy Simms, Janelle Stewart, Sterling& Chevette Colvin and others. All musicians areinvited every Monday at 7:30 p.m. Mark and Valerieserve performers and the audience free late nightpizza at the jam sessions.

Bistro Mezzaluna hosts popular local dance bandTarget most Fridays. Elegant Teri Rini Powers playsgrand piano and sings on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. OnSaturdays for date night, look for performances byDean St. Hillaire, Cheryl Christine, the Grovetones,Candace Woodson and the Domino Theory Band.

Local owners Mark & Valerie welcome all to BistroMezzaluna. They make patrons feel like guestsin their home, and their motto is "Drink, dine anddance and be merry! Buon Appetito!"