As more and more Italian restaurants open in the East Village, it becomes harder for each new one to distinguish itself from the crowd. Some don’t bother to try, but happily, Enoteca Barbone, a new entrant on Avenue B, has chosen a time-honored way of setting itself apart: inventive cooking.

Barbone stays far from the hidebound red-sauce canon of caprese, bolognese, and tiramisu.The chef, John Baron, has made his mark at a long string of Italian restaurants in the city, from Babbo to Paola’s. Here, he cooks clever celebrations of flavor. So we find such unpredictable offerings as sweet little bouchot mussels ($8) steamed with beer and coriander; or thin slices of house-smoked salmon ($8) served with vinegary pickles: There’s nothing particularly Italian about them, but it hardly matters: After you crunch into the first of a heap of piping-hot batter-fried asparagus stalks ($7) with a thin, slightly tart aioli for dipping, you simply stop worrying about any recipe’s provenance.

Starters, like the above-mentioned three, are particular outlets for creativity. Endive leaves ($7.50), often relegated to mere garnish, here provide a crunchy base for melted Gorgonzola strewn with apple chunks and crushed pistachios, a blend of richness and refreshment in a surprising package. A salad of watermelon and caperberries ($6.50), sprinkled with fresh mint leaves and ricotta salata cheese, could be a delicious embodiment of summer, but the cheese, which comes in rubbery, gravel-like nuggets, offers nothing but an obstacle to the salad’s sweet crunch.

When the chef turns his hand to classics, like spaghetti carbonara ($11.50), the result is delicious and perfectly classical, a sizable tangle of noodles swathed in buttery sauce and sweetened by dense hunks of pork. His pastas in general are delicious and hard-hitting, leaving behind the experimentation in pursuit of deep flavor. Substantial but delicate, ricotta gnocchi ($13) bathe in a thick purée with fresh peas, the zing of mint, and the unmistakable polish of butter. Dedicated lovers of liver will enjoy the big housemade ravioli ($12), in which smooth, luscious chicken-liver purée is the redolent entirety of the filling.

Under “Secondi” (the menu headings, at least, are Italian), come interesting preparations of meats and fishes. Servers suggest sharing a pasta course or two before everyone gets their own secondo. In practice, that’s a considerable job, though not a thankless one; it’s better to pick one option, then come back another day for the other. A thin but voluminous sheet of lamb milanese ($22), served under a fresh heap of piquant arugula, has wonderful, rich flavor. Its breading is reasonably delicate, but still, this meaty ballast instantly counteracts any summery, refreshing effect that, say, the watermelon salad may have had.A pair of quails ($21) is more seasonally appropriate, the grilled little birds ripe with peppery, lightly gamy savor that makes every one of their miniature bones a pleasure to gnaw. A pile of grilled asparagus serves as fresh accompaniment, along with a pair of fried quail eggs, which are delicious and amusingly distort the visual scale of the dish.

Also present on the menu are Mr. Baron’s renowned balsamic-glazed spareribs ($20). This dish won acclaim at his wife’s restaurant, Hope and Union in Williamsburg, where the ribs come with cornbread, and it takes naturally to Italianization as well. A funny stew of calamari, white beans, and pepperoni ($17) makes an interesting meal, too. In it, the little squids fulfill their pasta-like nature, tangling in a thick tomato broth while hunks of pepperoni provide meaty, unexpected bites of spice. It takes a lot of chewing for a stew, though, and, as with some of the pastas, the flavor palette can get a little repetitive toward the end.

Considering the creativity exhibited earlier in the meal, desserts ($6) are surprisingly by-the-book. There’s no tiramisu, but there’s a superdense slice of flourless chocolate cake, and a marvelously delicate panna cotta topped with candied cranberries.

Wine is central, of course, with more than 100 bottles, many quite unfamiliar, from all over Italy. Bottles top out at $120, but there are plenty in the $40 zone.Twenty wines are poured by the quarterliter quartino as well, including familiar choices like a robust chianti ($12) and a mild Terre D’Alteni pinot grigio ($10) alongside lesser-known grapes like fragrant, greenish Sicilian inzolia ($9) and the substantial, spicy teroldego ($12). There’s enough variety for any culinary occasion: Try the Sibiola rosè ($10), an unusual refresher made in Sardinia from vermentino grapes, or a fizzy, unabashedly sweet Sangue di Giuda ($10), named for Judas’ blood.

Enoteca Barbone, 186 Ave. B, between 11th and 12th streets, 212-254-6047.