South Italian Fare, South Philly Flair

Yo! You from the neighborhood, or what?

The newly opened Rumari--literally, “restaurant by the sea” in Sicilian--brings South Philly a little closer to our shores. Not quite on them--the restaurant is in Laguna Beach, but on the windward side of South Coast Highway.

So it’s not actually on the shore. Fuhgeddaboudit.

When I say South Philly, I think of southern Italian cooking in a setting that is friendly to the point of distraction. Rumari feels like a neighborhood restaurant--people crowd around the bar like old friends and there’s loud, animated talking in every direction. Most of the waiters sound like Sylvester Stallone between rounds.

The owners of Rumari--Bina and Antonio Crivello and their five sons--have done this before. When we last saw them they were helping locals paint the town red at Ciao, their high-spirited Philly-style trattoria in Santa Ana. Ciao is an inexpensive place where you eat wonderful pizzas from ceramic platters and drink beer by the pitcher.

But with Rumari, the Crivellos have moved radically upscale. The new place has beige walls and subdued lighting. The waiters wear tuxedos, wine glasses are crowned with linens, antipasto is dished up with a flourish from a marble-topped table. The menu is full of designer pastas and sophisticated grills.

It’s nice to see how comfortably they have made the transition, but I do wish they’d brought a little more of Ciao to Rumari, particularly more of those terrific pizzas. There are only two at Rumari, pizzetta ai frutti di mare, topped with smoked salmon, shrimp and clams, and pizzetta vegetariana, with vegetables and mozzarella. And I wish they wouldn’t call them pizzette, because they are gigantic.

The seafood pizza is just great, by the way, even though the crust gets a little soggy. There’s just the right hint of tomato sauce and the topping--smoky salmon, salty clams and sweet, oversized shrimp--has the perfect proportions.

Keeping things in perfect proportion can be a task in this restaurant, though. The Crivellos are an expansive family, and if they can’t smother you with affection, they’ll smother you with food. Order with moderation . . . and plan to take home leftovers anyway.

As at many Italian restaurants, the appetizers and pastas seem to be the stars. The antipasto misto is a huge platter of stuffed eggplant, thick-sliced Genoa salami, razor-thin prosciutto, soppressata salami, fire-roasted sweet peppers and marinated mushrooms and artichokes. With oil-rubbed focaccia bread, you could make a meal of it all by itself.

Trio misto, from the hot appetizer section, is another killer. It’s a platter of garlicky sauteed prawns, baked clams with bread crumb stuffing and a heady slab of mozzarella marinara, breaded and fried and topped with a thick tomato sauce. Finish either of these two dishes by yourself and chances are you’ll be through for the evening.

The lighter starters sound more sensible but often don’t taste as good. The salmon carpaccio is decent but needlessly cluttered with fresh mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. The tomatoes, in particular, just don’t mingle with the fish. In the veal carpaccio, on the other hand, all you can taste is overpowering hunks of imported Parmesan. The salads, such as pomodori e cipolla (fresh tomato and onion in an olive oil vinaigrette), are fine but not distinctive.

The kitchen has a tendency to overcook the pasta, so if you like yours al dente, put in a word with the waiter. What distinguishes the pastas here are some really good sauces. The handmade gnocchi-- exquisite soft potato dumplings--come in a muscular Gorgonzola sauce that hits your nose like a left jab. Fettuccine con panna e ricotta is just the opposite, noodles that slide into your mouth like silk, in a delicate cream sauce so light it almost floats.

Bucatini al ragu con polpettini di vitello is like extra-thick spaghetti in meat sauce with the addition of delightful meatballs made from ground veal. I couldn’t get enough of the meatballs, but the starchiness of the pasta left me cold. Angel hair, called vermicelli picchio pacchio on this menu, is served in a sauce of fresh and dried tomato, basil, garlic, olive oil and Parmesan. It’s probably the most versatile dish on the menu--it could go nicely with almost any main course.

In good Italian restaurants, it is easy to run out of steam by the time the main courses are served. Rumari has a good selection, so pace yourself. Pesce spada is swordfish adroitly grilled with onions and capers. Lombata di vitello is a veal chop braised in rich wine sauce and dotted with rosemary. Best of all is bistecca all’ arrabiata, a New York steak in a spicy onion, red pepper and white wine sauce.

The Crivellos did bring one dessert over from Ciao, an excellent tiramisu. This one positively drools rich mascarpone cheese and has a crust of almond-flavored amaretto cookies in place of the traditional ladyfingers. The semifreddo is even harder to resist. It’s white chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce and espresso poured onto it table-side, then finished with a topping of crushed amaretti.

Bet you’re thinking you’ll be too full. Hey, fuhgeddaboudit.

Rumari is moderately expensive. Appetizers are $6 to $10. Soups and salads are $4 to $8. Pastas are $9 to $13. Main dishes are $13 to $20.

RUMARI

1826 S. Coast Highway

Laguna Beach

(714) 494-0400

Open for lunch daily (summer months only) 11 a.m. through 3 p.m., for dinner nightly 5 through 11 p.m.

All major cards accepted