The real beauty of it is ...

BELLA. Beautiful. This latest entry from the owners of Dolce and Geisha House has quite the look -- all their restaurants do. Calling the place Bella Cucina Italiana (“beautiful Italian cooking”) may be something of an exaggeration. But the look, I like.

Bella occupies a corner space at Las Palmas Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard, cater-cornered from American Cinematheque, and has a distinctly urban vibe. Inside, curved comfy leather booths are lined up under the windows. Outside, the circus that is street life on Hollywood Boulevard parades by, endlessly.

The maitre d’ station is out on the sidewalk, which is furnished with a handful of tables for bad-girl and bad-boy smokers. But since Bella doesn’t take reservations, I guess these tables are for waiting too.

The bar at the back is furnished with two big-screen TVs that are tuned, on this occasion, to a baseball game. And the barstools are occupied by avid social butterflies working the room, craning to see who’s just come in and who’s already there.

Then there are the fashion victims -- the guys with that cultivated sleepy slacker look who have actually spent hours coaxing their hair into that modified Mohawk or spiky electrified effect to go with their artfully shredded jeans. Meanwhile, waitresses are decked out in black chiffon peasant outfits trimmed in white lace, some designer’s wacky update of Anna Magnani’s smoldering style.

The sommelier is dressed for the part too, in a suit and beautiful tie. And he’s pouring some good regional wines.

Bella’s concept is Italian American, and urban, rather than the Northern Italian that Dolce offers. That’s OK, but couldn’t they put just a bit more soul into it? The effort seems half-hearted.

The insalata bella, a chopped salad that includes matchsticks of salami, is pleasant enough, but the vinaigrette is missing in action. I like the melanzane al forno, eggplant and mozzarella layered with a loose fresh tomato sauce. But the special crab cakes taste more like fish sticks, and you have to search through a heap of mixed greens to find the little buggers.

The people-watching is entertaining, though. It tends to heat up after 9 p.m., when the babes start arriving, silver and gold purses strung under their arms, dressed to maim, eyeing the competition. One group is girls, all with identical streaked blond locks, who spend the entire evening glued to their cellphones as if they couldn’t be bothered to actually be present.

The owner rushes up to make sure everyone is supplied with a glass of prosecco or a pretty cocktail. The chef, in spotless whites with a pen and a thermometer in his pocket, is trotted out to say hello to the girls.

With all these distractions, maybe no one will notice that the spaghetti with meatballs is gummy or the linguine alle vongole is overcooked. And who’s to say whether the Milanese is heavily breaded cardboard or the purported veal? This may be the single worst version I’ve ever had.

By the time we get the tiramisu (not bad) and torta della nonna (bad), there’s a conga line snaking up to the bar. “Club opening next door,” the sommelier whispers, and they’re all stopping in for a drink.

They’ll be back in a while, I suspect, and hungry. The kitchen stays open late -- till midnight on weekends -- which is a very good thing if you want to catch a film at the Cinematheque. (Bella is also doing lunch, which is a good thing in a neighborhood with few options.)

Parking, as everywhere on Hollywood Boulevard, is a hassle. There’s no valet parking here, but there are two lots half a block up Las Palmas. We opt for the cheapest at $8. By the time we come out, the price has gone up to $12 to match Musso & Frank’s lot across the street.

Bella looks the part of urban red sauce Italian restaurant. Now that it’s got the part -- and the audience -- the kitchen needs to hunker down and get serious with the cucina.

*

Bella

Where: 1708 N. Las Palmas Ave., Hollywood

When: Noon to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, noon to midnight Fridays and Saturdays. Full bar. Valet parking.

Cost: Antipasti, $6 to $12; salads and soups, $6 to $11; risotto and pasta, $12 to $16; main courses, $15 to $23; desserts, $6

Info: (323) 468-8815