A proverb suggests that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. If Munch could amend that bit of profundity: taking your grandmother out to dinner is likewise a road to hell paved with good intentions, though in this case, it led to a pleasant surprise.

Linguini's is at 1535 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon, and 9996 Mountain View Drive, West Mifflin. Call 412-341-5555 or 412-655-8000 or visit linguinismenu.com.

As part of an overdue Christmas present, Munch had promised to take Gram of Munch (GOM) to see the Chihuly exhibit at Phipps before its run ended, followed by dinner at her favorite restaurant, the Cheesecake Factory at SouthSide Works. Quick summation of how that went: Chihuly great, Cheesecake not so much.

Apparently Munch missed the memo that the promotion that evening was a free block of gold bullion with every purchase -- how else to explain an estimated 2 1/2-hour wait? The spillover crowd had clogged the nearby Claddagh and drowned McCormick & Schmick's, too. Munch floated the idea of slugging beers with Gram down the road at Fat Head's, though that also fell flat as a Coors product.

So, we headed toward Gram's apartment in the South Hills, at this point so hungry we might've pulled a Donner Party move on a broken down motorist.

Though she lives near an Olive Garden (slogan: When you're here, you're a shareholder dividend) Munch rejected the idea of dining there on principle.

But we passed a place Munch had seen a million times and never thought much about -- Linguini's on Washington Road in Mt. Lebanon. It was open, it served food, it would do.

And it would do a really decent job, as Munch and Gram found out.

The menu is traditional Italian-style favorites, such as chicken and veal piccata, marsala and parmesan ($13.95-$16.95), fettuccine alfredo ($10.95), lasagne ($11.95), and manicotti ($10.95) as well as specialty pastas: Prosciutto alla Vodka, Seafood Pescatore, and Linguini Diavolo, to name a few (up to $18.95) and brick oven pizzas hand tossed in the dining room ($6.95 to $14.99).

Munch had a solid platter of gnocchi with meat sauce ($12.95) and bowl of wedding soup ($3.25) while Gram enjoyed the pasta prima vera with chicken ($14.95).

Service was prompt and friendly, the decor pleasant.

Considering that we had no intention of dining here heading into the evening, ending up at Linguini's was a happy accident that will likely be repeated again, though next time as an intended destination.