RESTAURANT REVIEW : Capri’s New Chef Adds to Good Taste

On a Friday night, three of us go to Capri to try the food of the new chef, Hugo Veltman. It is, as we discover, a mission of pleasure.

This small, intelligent restaurant was opened three years ago by designer Alona Hamilton-Cooke on a quiet block of Abbot Kinney in Venice. A veteran of this neighborhood’s restaurant establishment--she opened the West Beach Cafe with Bruce Marder 14 years ago--Hamilton-Cooke’s love of vivid Italian food and her clever design sense help make Capri exactly what a small, medium-priced, neighborhood restaurant should be.

The establishment’s name appears in jaunty wrought-iron letters over the doors. Inside, the space is white-walled, sparely appointed, lovely: There’s one painting (of Venetian canals), two loopy tarnished chandeliers and, underfoot, distressed concrete that could pass for ancient stone.

We’re seated in black wire Bertoia chairs at tables with white cloths, gleaming wine glasses, flickering votive candles. The plate of bread holds an adorable, doll-sized bottle of good virgin olive oil.

Around us, the room is filling up; we spot artists from the neighborhood, a few literary fans dining before a reading at Beyond Baroque, plus some particularly handsome people on dates.

There’s a calmness in the way this restaurant runs; servers are gracious, unflappable. Food comes out of the kitchen at a reliable rate. Waiters discuss and handle both food and wines proficiently. Even Lucy, the visiting neighborhood dog, has perfect manners; she stands just outside the open doors, tail wagging, eyes bright, hoping for a pat or, like the rest of us, something good to eat.

Chef Veltman, Swiss-born and the son of a famous theoretical mathematician, came to Capri from Patina after stints at Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago and a two-star restaurant in Paris. His menu is small, a single hand-written legal-sized page that includes a handful each of starters, pastas and entrees. On this night and several succeeding visits, I found Veltman’s cooking to be likable, imaginative, capable and intermittently stunning.

Of course, not everything is perfect. Starters, for example, are probably not Veltman’s strongest suit. Some are inarguably delicious, notably the chewy gnocchi in a scallion sauce and, my favorite, a Tuscan zuppa di pomodoro , a soup of fresh-chopped Roma tomatoes with floating garlic toasts that is simultaneously light and hearty. Less fully realized, yet still quite palatable, are asparagus spears fanned in a pool of smooth, golden curry sauce and a tuna carpaccio drizzled with chile oil.

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Salads are simple, fresh, judiciously dressed. The best--radicchio, arugula and slivers of parmigiano --is not on the menu, but often available. Insalata mista has a subtle spiciness; the salad of mixed greens with a disc of warm goat cheese rolled in roasted pistachios is a bit salty.

If starters are unassuming, the pace picks up with the pastas. Veltman has nailed the black linguine with fresh, sweet shrimp and chopped tomato; it’s an attractive, bright-tasting bowl of food. Al dente ravioli , stuffed with eggplant and topped with a sauce of tomatoes and roasted peppers, is full of sharp, precise, refreshing flavors.

With the entrees, the chef hits his stride; dishes are wittily composed, nicely presented. A lovely piece of whitefish sits on a bed of rich, slippery caramelized onions; crisp julienned potatoes are crusted on top. The nutty, haunting flavor of baby artichokes plays remarkably well with a chicken breast encrusted with polenta. A rack of lamb might be more tender, but not more tasty; it’s served on a spill of white Italian beans. Best of all, perhaps, is the red snapper--an ample, beautifully sauteed filet served on a bed of leeks and zucchini; it’s flanked by a smooth puree of roasted tomato studded with roasted garlic and tiny tasty olives.

On weeknights, the dessert menu can be limited to one or two items--fresh mango, say, sliced into a cheery sunflower in a lake of raspberry sauce. On weekends, if you’re lucky, there’s a varied selection, including a meringue biscuit bristling with nuts and filled with fresh raspberries and mascarpone cheese.

* Capri, 1616 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice, (310) 392-8777. Dinner Monday through Saturday. (Open Sundays starting Nov . 15). Beer and wine. American Express, MasterCard and Visa. Dinner for two, food only, $32-$60.