Curious diners turned to sneak a peek: A waiter scraped a fork across a wooden bowl, turning anchovies into shreds. Dressed in a teal blue button-up, he squeezed lemon into a fish mash, added a few grinds of black pepper, parmesan and garlic cloves. “Enjoy,” he said, placing a plate of perfectly dressed Caesar salad greens on a red-and-white checkered tablecloth.

Located on the corner of Ella Boulevard and West 22nd Street, Cavatore is a monster mash of 1980s Italian fine dining in a rustic 140-year-old Texas barn. Random farming implements hang alongside celebrity portraits, Italian news clippings and hand-painted signs bearing the names of now-defunct companies. All the while, a pianist plays a song for the crowd as buttoned-up waiters scurry around the dining floor.