The salmon Draghi sourced from a Canadian farm, for instance, tasted lean and wild and did not look artificially colored, almost a newsworthy event around these parts. A sautéed filet ($26) was served over pretty if out-of-season fresh favas and a reduced sugo with yellow-pepper juice; after I made short work of a generous portion, I was ready to devour a second. Draghi doesn’t shy from what other cooks consider scary rarities, mincing scungilli (Italian whelk) into a sauce for meaty farmed sturgeon roasted with garlic oil and saffron ($29). Dramatic razor clams ($11) came steamed in the shell with white wine, garlic, homegrown fennel seeds, leeks, and lemon zest. Sea scallops in their shells ($14) were big and beautiful, though the accompanying spicy mayonnaise, puffed under the broiler, masked their natural sweetness. Mussels steamed with rosemary and saffron ($9) struck the right flavor balance and were a remarkably good example of farmed seafood, which tends to be fatty and bland.

That balance is the exception, though. Too often rosemary, saffron, sage, or bay leaf domineers, as Draghi overemphasizes the bitter element common in Italian food. An herb and ricotta stuffing for the ravioli called pansoti ($19) was chokingly dry and bitter, maybe from the dandelion and escarole in the stuffing or maybe from a rancid walnut in the pesto. He also fails to make the case for some odd combinations, like sautéed sea bream ($24) with shrimp oil, hot peppers, tomato, and fresh peppermint.

But when he stays relatively restrained, Draghi cooks like no one else, with his deep understanding of Piedmontese, Friulian, and Tuscan idioms. Boar is a Tuscan and a Draghi favorite, both as an entrée ($36) and in a tomatoless ragù for terrifically light but substantial handmade potato gnocchi ($22), sauced with butternut squash and carrots and spiced with juniper and nutmeg. This is great traditional comfort food. So is his version of polenta ($9), cooked in broth and milk and layered with prosciutto fat before being baked, and roasted Piedmontese cauliflower ($9) layered with melted Taleggio and served with anchovies, raisins, and capers. Order it, whatever you think about cauliflower and anchovies.

Desserts, expertly made, also include citrus and herb essences, like orange-oil caramel folded into dark chocolate for a lush tart ($10), topped with whipped cream spiked with orange-flower water. The chocolate truffles that came with the check were flavored with Ellington-foraged wintergreen steeped in brandy. And pears poached with white wine, honey, and saffron and stuffed with mascarpone over a caramel sauce ($7) were a pretty, perfect ending to an herbaceous, spiced meal.

Draghi, in or out of the North End, is a local treasure Boston needs to support. Go and enjoy his vision as it comes into clearer focus.