Dining details: Vincenti Ristorante

Vincenti Ristorante

Rating: ***

Location: 11930 San Vicente Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 207-0127; www.vincentiristorante.com.

Ambience: Chic contemporary Italian with a small bar up front and a wood-burning oven and rotisserie at the back. An upscale neighborhood hangout, it also attracts Italophiles from all over the city for chef and co-owner Nicola Mastronardi’s cooking.

Service: Alert and friendly.

Price:Antipasti, $14 to $18; pastas, risottos and soups, $12 to $20; main courses, $10 to $39; chef’s six-course tasting menu, $70 per person; desserts, $12.50. Pizzas (Monday only), $15 to $25.

Best dishes: Crispy calamari and zucchini; warm salad of octopus and cuttlefish with artichokes; roasted quail with guanciale and grapes; ravioli with fresh fava beans and guanciale; lasagnette with veal, chicken and rabbit ragù; tagliolini with lobster and artichokes; branzino; rotisserie Sonoma duck; warm ricotta cake; tiramisu.

Wine list: Strong on Italian wines from diverse regions. Corkage fee, $20.

Best table: One of the corner booths.

Details: Open 6 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and Friday lunch 12 to 2 p.m. Full bar. Valet parking, $6.

To see a photo gallery, go to latimes.com/food.

Rating is based on food, service and ambience, with price taken into account in relation to quality. ****: Outstanding on every level. ***: Excellent. **: Very good. *: Good. No star: Poor to satisfactory.