Restaurants : VITTORIO!: RESTAURANT NEXT DOOR IN PALISADES

If I lived in Pacific Palisades and I wanted a great Italian meal, I’d get in the car and brave Los Angeles to eat in my favorite restaurants there. But more frequently, I think, I’d find myself buying a bottle of Chianti at the neighborhood liquor store (and wishing they’d stock a wider variety of Italian wine) and then dropping in next door to wait in line for a table at Vittorio!

I’d feel lucky to have Vittorio! close by--not because it serves the best Italian food in the world--it doesn’t--but because it’s good enough for a civilized, satisfying meal close to home. I’d appreciate the coziness and friendliness of the place--12 tables, deli case, open kitchen, fake brick walls and ceiling fans; the relaxed attitude of the owner, a slim Italian who can often be found in a T-shirt, hair tousled; the casual clamor of the clientele, a clean-cut, suburban crowd.

After enough visits there, I’d know the ropes and would try not to eat too many rossetti (little bread balls baked in garlic and oil), distracting myself instead with marinated broccoli, green beans or asparagus, cold eggplant parmigiana, a stuffed artichoke. And I’d have discovered a few dependable favorites and some dishes I’d even developed a yen for, such as the Shrimp Vittorio!--big fat unshelled shrimp, and plenty of them, cooked in oil and garlic (plenty of that too), served on a pile of pasta, delicious and a bargain by city standards--$8.50. Or I’d have spaghetti and meatball--that’s right, there’s only one meatball, but it’s a good one. Or chicken parmigiana (another bargain--$7.50 with pasta or salad) which comes smothered in a pleasant, light marinara sauce and oozes with mozzarella cheese.

I might even occasionally order Vittorio! Steamers, which aren’t steamers, really (not the kind you get back East), but clams steamed in a buttery garlicky broth. This cook is not afraid of garlic!

I’d have learned, through trial and error, to avoid the veal parmigiana (but what could I have expected for $7.50?) and the lobster fra diablo (bits of tough Australian tail drowned in an oily sauce) and the pasta with broccoli (overcooked broccoli the problem there). I’d skip the pizza unless I were desperate (tasteless crust) and the desserts too--chocolate cake (store bought, uninteresting); cannoli (not so hot); strawberries with cannoli cream (sounded great but wasn’t), and opt instead for a cappuccino and a trip up the road to the neighborhood ice cream parlor.

I have a feeling that if I lived in Pacific Palisades, breathing that sweet air, gazing at those ocean views, that the very thought of that long drive into the city--the smog, traffic, uptight city vibes-- would make everything at Vittorio!--pizza and desserts included-- begin to taste just fine.

Vittorio! Ristorante & Pizzeria. Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 1 p.m.-9 p.m. 16646 Marquez Ave., Pacific Palisades. (213) 459-3755, 459-9316. Cash or checks only. No alcohol. Dinner for two, food only, $20-$25.