Serving something different

The wind and rain sweep us through the door to a table at the new Pecorino Restaurant in Brentwood. Yes, the former Zax has gone Italian, like half the neighborhood. Toscana, Palmeri, Sor Tino and Latini Osteria are all within shouting distance.

In fact, two of Pecorino’s owners, Mario Sabatini and Giorgio Pierangeli, were waiters and managers at the long-standing Toscana across the street. Everyone coming in the door seems to know either Mario or Giorgio. It’s a real ciao fest with plenty of kisses.

The vibe at Pecorino is casual and relaxed. It has to be the place’s feng shui, because it’s felt the same whether it was Woodside or Zax, or something else before that. Pecorino’s partners haven’t spent a bundle redecorating. They’ve simply freshened the space up, adding iron chandeliers and flickering candles. The layout is pretty much the same, but it’s just a tad quieter because, I think, fewer tables are jammed into the brick storefront.

The chef is Raffaelle Sabatini, Mario’s brother, newly arrived from the Abruzzo region of Italy. The good news is that he cooks like an Italian. He hasn’t been here long enough to learn any different.

Though the menu could be characterized as more Northern Italian than from any particular region, it’s a relief to see something different from the Brentwood roster of Tuscan dishes.

In this weather, soup sounds awfully appealing, maybe the fava bean and chicory soup, or the pasta e ceci (garbanzo bean and pasta). There’s a lovely little salad of green beans, potatoes and avocado in a lemon-drenched dressing, another with tuna in olive oil with green beans, cherry tomatoes and oregano.

I love the rather austere pasta dish called cacio e pepe, which is basically spaghetti tossed with sharp pecorino, Parmesan and lots of black pepper. Pasta sauced with shrimp and zucchini is delicious too, but artichoke lasagna is heavy on the cheese.

The best main dish I’ve tried is one from Abruzzo, lamb braised with artichokes, eggs and pecorino. Straccetti di manzo is thinly sliced beef sauteed with arugula and sun-dried tomatoes. Braised beef is like an Italian pot roast, pure comfort food, served with mashed potatoes whipped with olive oil.

The one dessert to try is the pear gratin with almonds. (Tiramisu you can get anywhere in Brentwood.)

Question: Does anybody eat anything but Italian on San Vicente Boulevard? Here, then, if you want a slight change of pace, is Pecorino.

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Pecorino Restaurant

Where: 11604 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood

When: Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; dinner, 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 5:30 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 5 to 10 p.m. Sundays. Wine and beer. Valet parking.

Cost: Antipasti, $6.95 to $14.95; first courses, $9.95 to $15.95; entrees, $18.95 to $28.95; desserts, $7.

Info: (310) 571-3800