Roberto Passon, a casual Italian restaurant that opened this spring in Hell’s Kitchen, looks familiar. It’s recognizable as one of those little neighborhood restaurants that gives locals their Italian fix, replete with white tablecloths, a full bar, inexpensive wine, and a crowd-pleasing menu set apart only by the individual chef’s mannerisms. New York City Restaurant Group, which is responsible for quite a few restaurants in this vein, has hardly broken its trusty mold in opening Roberto Passon, but naming the restaurant after its chef – who has cooked previously at several of the group’s other restaurants – shows greater commitment to individuality than one sees at related ventures such as Intermezzo or Arte Cafe.

Mr. Passon popularized cicchetti, the wine friendly, fish-and-bean-centric Venetian equivalent of tapas, at Le Zie in Chelsea and Le Zoccole in the East Village. At his new restaurant, he covers more conservative territory, with appetizers, entree-size pastas, and meat and fish main courses. The presence of cheeseburgers and chicken Caesar salad on the brunch menu solidifies the impression that pleasing the local crowd comes before fidelity to any culinary ideal.

Notes of Mr. Passon’s characterful cooking penetrate the formulaic menu, though, notably in a host of fine seafood and game preparations and in some interesting, inventive flavor combinations that share menu space with the more mundane dishes such as pumpkin ravioli ($12) and ziti Bolognese ($12).

A pair of seared scallops ($10), that familiar appetizer staple, here benefit from a crackly paper-thin crust indicating that actual searing has taken place, not just pan-frying. Thin-sliced beet rounds give color and earthy depth to the fine, fresh scallops. Chicken livers ($8), cooked quite rare, lack the deep savor that well-cooked ones develop, but trade it for a silken, almost liquid interior texture. A sweet port reduction plays off the meat’s gamy flavor, along with a dessert like port-poached pear and a little arugula for bite. A large plate of thick white asparagus ($8) forms the basis of a dazzlingly rich starter, designed perhaps for sharing; it’s drizzled with brown butter and melting Parme san, draped in loose folds of luxurious prosciutto, and finished with a runny, buttery poached egg.

A light and unctuous veal ragu gives just a little distinction to garganelli ($12), a variant of penne. The tender pasta and veal pieces certainly don’t lack for flavor, but there’s little contrast or excitement in the dish. Fusilli ($11), on the other hand, are vividly complemented with big, salty chunks of smoked bacon and semi-bitter, mouth-filling braised radicchio, in a simple but captivating combination.

Mr. Passon’s consistently impressive touch with seafood goes far beyond those scallops: He wraps plump monkfish pieces ($17) in prosciutto, balancing marine richness with the gentle sweetness of pork. A wonderful creamy leek gratin in the center of the plate adds a third, vegetable layer of luxury. He leaves the skin on a firm fleshed, wine-poached grouper filet in a bouillabaisse-like stew ($17), so its strong sea flavor mingles with the saffron that permeates the broth. When the fish, mussels, little clams, and potato chunks are gone from the bowl, the remaining broth retains their spirit.

Many of the meat dishes – veal piccata, pork loin – are less impressive, but braising with tomatoes, peppers, and olives gives meaty pieces of rabbit a southern Italian flair. The hearty, herby stew is served over a layer of light grilled polenta.

Desserts ($7) include a moist, rich tiramisu that puts the usual tired specimen to shame; a tartufo of walnut and coffee semifreddo; and sgroppino, a classic, refreshing parfait of lemon sorbetto, prosecco, and vodka, here swirled with fresh strawberry puree. The wine cellar features a few dozen Italian wines, a large number of which fall comfortably under $35 a bottle to suit the casual crowd, as well as a handful of by-the-glass choices.

Whether good or bad, restaurants named after their chefs can typically boast a singular vision. Not Roberto Passon. While there are definite gems in the fog, the restaurant’s scope is confused at times. Does it aspire to transcend its neighborhood-Italian paradigm? Some dishes say yes; others say no.

Roberto Passon, 741 Ninth Ave., 212-582-5599.