Side dish: sea air

Come summer, the idea of eating at the beach sounds enormously seductive. I start dreaming about the little seafood restaurants in the old Barceloneta neighborhood of Barcelona, where you can gorge on fresh seafood with your toes practically curled in the sand, then, after lunch, wander off a few feet for a nap by the shore.

Unfortunately, our city planners didn’t provide for many restaurants that skirt the waves, and those rare few, Gladstone’s 4 Fish among them, don’t usually live up to the expectation. The view is enough; forget trying to make wonderful food.

But if you’re willing to settle for sea air as opposed to sea view, you’ve got considerably more choices. One spot that was always pleasantly offbeat was 5 Dudley, a block off the Venice boardwalk. With its Hawaiian-shirted owner, dueling chefs and tiny sidewalk tables, it was so irreverent and so Californian that everybody I know used to take their East Coast guests there.

Sad to say, it’s gone. But now the space has been taken over by a couple of Italians, veterans of Il Moro, Stefano De Lorenzo and chef Antonio Mure, who also put in time at Locanda Veneta and Valentino in Las Vegas.

The 2-month-old restaurant is named Piccolo Cipriani (no relation to the Ciprianis of Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy). A sprinkling of Venetian-style masks and some framed historic photos of Venice constitute the decor. More important, the partners have reconfigured the tables, so you won’t be knocking into your neighbor’s elbow every time you take a bite. And the waiters can actually walk between the tables.

The small menu offers some regional dishes not often seen in L.A., and when De Lorenzo comes to your table, he’ll gracefully point out a slew of that night’s specials, just to keep things fresh. Some of the old crowd is dropping in to try out Caprese salad made with bufala mozzarella flown in from Naples (an occasional special) or the fine carpaccio of sea bass.

There are some interesting pastas too, such as cassunziei -- half-moons filled with potato and a touch of cinnamon in a poppy seed and brown butter sauce -- or tortelli with a fig and potato stuffing napped in a Parmesan sauce. The handful of main courses include veal scalloppine with aged Modena aceto balsamico, nut-crusted lamb loin with stewed artichokes, or chicken “airline,” a double breast of chicken opened up to resemble airplane wings.

An early glitch left the restaurant without a wine and beer license, but with its retrieval a couple of weeks ago, the vino is flowing again.

The kitchen makes the desserts fresh every day. Usually there’s tiramisu, of course, white and dark chocolate mousse, panna cotta and crema di vaniglia, vanilla pudding topped with soft caramel sauce, a favorite from Il Moro’s menu.

June gloom may be here, but as soon as it lifts, an outdoor table and a plate of pasta at Piccolo Cipriani may be the closest thing to Venice (Italy) in Venice (California).

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Piccolo Cipriani

Where: 5 Dudley Ave., Venice

When: Open Mondays through Thursdays, 5:30 to 10 p.m.; Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 11 p.m. Park on street or in beach lot at end of Rose Avenue.

Cost: Appetizers, $7.75 to $13.75; pastas, $10.75 to $17.95; main dishes, $16.75 to $24.75; desserts, $8.

Info: (310) 314-3222