Excerpts from an article that appeared Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2001

When Popolo's Cafe announced its online ordering and delivery service at www.popolos.com, we clicked our mouse through the extensive Italian menu.

Delivery ($25 minimum order) is available within a given radius of Preston and Royal; customers outside of the delivery area may order online and pick up at the restaurant.

Since heat is fleeting, we saved the salad for last and started with the pan-roasted salmon with goat cheese ($16.95). The salmon was cooked to perfection, with a smear of warm goat cheese on top and flanked with a side of tasty roasted chopped potatoes.

Margherita Pizza ($10.95) was stellar - a huge leap in quality over the typical home-delivery pizza. Chalk it up to fresh basil, tomatoes, molten mozzarella, and Popolo's wood-fired oven.

The house salad ($4.95) was among the best in town.

On a lunch order, we finally sampled the house minestrone ($3), a vegetable soup with a zesty tomato-laced broth. The tuna club sandwich ($7.50) was a winner - and a bargain, considering the tuna was a thick grilled steak. You'd pay nearly as much for a sandwich made with canned tuna elsewhere. It came with a delicious Mediterranean olive relish and chips.

The muffaletta ($8.95) was another hit, although far from traditional; it was made with grilled chicken, portobello mushrooms, mozzarella, and flatbread.

by Tina Danze