On the Promenade, Row With the Flow

Back in the mid-1800s, when baron haussmann transformed Paris with his long, straight boulevards, the French discovered the true meaning of the word “flaner,” meaning saunter or stroll. Today in Southern California’s car culture, walking for pleasure has become a novelty, but plenty of flaneurs still flock to Santa Monica to take in the scene along the Third Street Promenade. Benita’s Fries offers classic street food, Belgian (a.k.a. French) fries with odd and interesting sauces. For a sit-down meal and a ringside seat on the exuberant sidewalk circus, the best choice is Remi, one of the top Italian restaurants in the area.

When it opened in 1992, Remi had two great advantages: a design by Adam Tihany and a menu by his partner, Venetian chef Francesco Antonucci, who soon left to open a Remi in New York. Tihany, who later designed Le Cirque 2000 in New York City and Spago Las Vegas, played off the Remi menu’s Venetian theme, creating a fresh and sophisticated look for the restaurant. It’s named for the elegantly shaped gondoliers’ oars, pairs of which are crisscrossed on the ceiling. The stripes of the gondola awnings and the poles where the boats are moored turn up as another motif: Banquettes, chair seats and waiters’ shirts are nautical blue and white stripes, and the parquet floor is banded in light and dark hardwood. More charm is in the details: pale chandeliers and wall sconces of Murano glass, and framed sketches of delicate, jewel-colored wineglasses.

The cooking, which has had its ups and downs, is just as understated and reliably good again. The contemporary menu, supplemented by a handful of specials each night, is large enough so that you can always find something enticing. As soon as you sit down, a waiter brings a dish of fresh goat cheese in a tomato sauce scented with sweet basil and garlic to dip your bread in. It’s a nice change from the usual olive paste or splash of olive oil.

Carpaccio is exemplary: thinly sliced raw beef garnished with just a touch of mustard vinaigrette, a flurry of arugula leaves and shaved Parmigiano. Another fine starter is smoked goose breast prosciutto, a specialty of the Veneto’s Jewish community, served with its own little salad of baby greens; do ask the kitchen to leave off the truffle oil, however.

I also like the steamed black mussels and the sea scallops rolled in bread crumbs, sauteed to a light gold and paired with a bean salad. And the crespelle are a delightful surprise--whole-wheat crepes rolled and filled with spinach and ricotta, then presented standing up in a sweet carrot-tomato sauce.

All of the salads are appealing, especially the one consisting of peppery young arugula leaves drizzled with a dressing of pounded walnuts and olives and garnished with thin shavings of impeccable Parmigiano. What makes this dish inspired are the shallots, a little vinegary, and tender on the edges. They’re agrodolce--sweet and sour--a taste Venetians love. In another combination, crisp ivory endive is strewn with alici, silvery pickled anchovies. Their sweet, vinegary taste is lovely against the bitterness of the endive. Sometimes, there’s a beautiful fresh artichoke salad, something you find in almost every Italian restaurant. But Remi’s is particularly well-balanced, with just the right amount of lemon juice and good Parmesan shaved on top.

Pastas are unfussy, which means more pasta and less sauce than Americans are accustomed to, but to my taste they’re still just a bit oversauced. And one of Remi’s classics, the Marco Polo ravioli filled with fresh tuna and embellished with threads of fried fresh ginger in a light tomato sauce, doesn’t work any better than it did the first time I tried it. I do like the fusilli tossed with wilted radicchio and, though they’re a bit heavy, the handmade agnolotti, which are filled with fresh ricotta and spinach, then sauced simply in brown butter and scattered with fried sage leaves. A southern Italian-style penne piccante with olives and capers is pretty good, too. But where is the Veneto’s famous bigoli, sort of a fat spaghetti with a hole down the middle?

When it comes to risotto, cooks in the Veneto make it all onda, “like a wave,” with more liquid than most. Remi’s rendition is a bit drier, but close, and one of the best dishes on the menu. The kitchen offers just one risotto each night. The one with prosciutto and peas would be even better if it were made with a more potent stock. Another, in which shrimp and shreds of radicchio almost melt into the rice, is very good. And just about this time, expect to see risi e bisi, rice and peas, now that English peas are coming into season. Beware the gnocchi, however. They’re tough, gluey pellets of potato stained a somber-looking khaki green with spinach.

As for secondi, go with the calf’s liver alla Veneziana. Instead of the classic small bits of liver, it’s half-inch-thick slices, cooked to a rosy medium-rare and served with gently caramelized onions and soft polenta. Another irresistible plate is the rack of Colorado lamb chops accompanied by seared radicchio and garlic mashed potatoes. Free-range chicken grilled over wood is juicy and just a bit smoky. And if you like fish, try the branzino, or sea bass. Grilled whole and fileted at the table, with a squeeze of lemon and just a few drops of olive oil, it’s a delicate, wonderfully flavorful fish.

Whether at lunch or at dinner, Remi exults in the spectacle outside its doors. You can get an even better view of the action from one of the handful of tables outside. On weeknights, there’s often a pianist and a bassist playing old songs like “As Time Goes By.” On weekends, when the room is full, it can be extremely noisy, unless you come early. Still, the place has enough of a neighborhood feel that some people bring their kids.

The wine list, which features Italian and California wines, has steep markups, making it difficult to find a wine you want to drink for less than $40. I wish it had more Chiantis of interest and more of the best wines from the Veneto, which includes, of course, Soave, Valpolicella and Amarone and some distinguished Cabernets. And if it considered the entire Tre Venezie, the area that includes not only the Veneto, but also Alto Adige and Friuli, the pickings would be better.

Nobody does a better tiramisu than Remi. Ladyfingers are splashed with espresso and layered with more delicious satiny, slightly tangy mascarpone than whipped cream, and topped with a gentle dusting of cocoa. It makes a convincing argument for this dessert’s popularity. Or take the cioccolato tartufato, an individual warm chocolate cake, the kind that’s runny at the center, with a dark chocolate gelato on the side. For something lighter, content yourself with an espresso and the plate of Venetian cookies for two. It’s just the sort of selection you might find in any of Venice’s pastry shops.

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Remi

CUISINE: Italian. AMBIENCE: handsome restaurant with Venetian theme, sidewalk dining and private wine room. BEST

DISHES: carpaccio, crespelle, calf’s liver, grilled sea bass, rack of lamb, tiramisu. WINE PICKS: 1996 Altesino Rosso di Montalcino, Tuscany; 1995 Maculan Breganze Rosso, Veneto. FACTS: 1451 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica; (310) 393-6545. Lunch and dinner daily. Dinner antipasti, $7 to $13; pastas and risotto, $13 to $16; main courses, $21 to $28. Corkage $10. Valet parking at Broadway and 3rd Street.