Simply Elegant

The waiter sets down a plate of spaghetti allo scoglio--from the reef or rocks. Two Santa Barbara spot prawns, split in half, their tentacles stiffened in midair, sit on a mound of pasta that has been tossed in a light tomato sauce with clams and mussels in the shell. Each strand is barely coated with sauce that tastes of fresh tomato and green-gold olive oil. It’s exactly what this dish should be. And everybody at my table at Vincenti in Brentwood wants, I’m sure, this perfect plate of pasta all to themselves.

Part of what makes it so memorable is the spaghetti. It’s Senatore Cappelli, a low-yield wheat from the producer Carlo Latini in Emilia-Romagna. Working in small batches, Latini extrudes the dough through antique brass dies, which gives the surface of the pasta a more porous texture, the better to grab that sauce. If there’s any one thing that defines the essence of Italian cooking, it’s the simplicity and balance of a pasta dish like this one.

As an antipasto, I order prosciutto. Thin, supple slices of raw-cured ham are dropped on the plate like a lost handkerchief. In the center sit several slices of locally produced burrata--a Pugliese-style fresh mozzarella with a heart of cream--and a handful of oven-roasted cherry tomatoes. It’s a dream combination, especially when the ham is prosciutto di San Daniele. A paler pink, it tastes sweeter than its salty cousin from Parma.

Following the pasta, the night’s special arrives: orata (daurade) that was flown in from Italy that morning. Grilled whole, fileted and sprinkled with a little sea salt, it’s fantastically flavorful because it’s so fresh.

Vincenti is not your typical neighborhood trattoria. The kitchen specializes in the fresh and uncontrived food that you might find in the best restaurants at Italian resorts. And, similarly, it caters to a sophisticated, moneyed crowd.

It is also as unabashedly urban as any restaurant in Milan. With its burnished plum walls, pale polished woods and handsome light fixtures, it’s a showcase for contemporary Italian design. Yet for all the high-concept architecture, what’s the first thing you see when you walk in? The glow of the woodburning rotisserie and grill. There’s a gentle scent of wood smoke, roasting meat and other good things. The atmosphere invites lingering--perhaps at the bar with a glass of Bellavista’s sparkling cuvee brut or a Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige producer J. Hofsttter.

The restaurant is named for the late Mauro Vincenti, husband of owner Maureen Vincenti. One of L.A.’s most passionate restaurateurs, this is a man who lived and breathed Italian food. At the now-defunct Rex, his glamorous restaurant in the Art Deco Oviatt building downtown, he brought over chefs from Italy and ferreted out sources for aged Parmigiano-Reggiano and authentic balsamic vinegar long before most people knew what they were. His passion was infectious. After he died in 1996, Maureen Vincenti closed Rex and moved to the Westside, opening Vincenti in October 1997 with Rex chef Gino Angelini.

Angelini recently left to open his own place, and his able right-hand man, Nicola Mastronardi, has replaced him. In the months since he’s headed the kitchen, he’s kept things on a steady course, cooking in much the same style, even many of the same dishes, but with some introductions of his own. If anything, Mastronardi’s style is a bit more rustic, and his tasting menus tend to play it safe, based more on his regular repertoire than on any bold departures.

This southern Italian chef cooks risotto with the best of them. His current version, laced with fresh shrimp, zucchini and gold zucchini blossoms, is just at the edge of al dente, each grain of rice separate and bathed with olive oil, cheese and stock. He makes a wonderful version of the classic amatriciana, with plum tomatoes, a little garlic, his own guanciale (a cured pork jowl similar to pancetta) and a touch of pepperoncino.

The food at Vincenti is both elegant and simple. Take the bruschetta of pureed Romano beans sent out one evening as a stuzzichino, or hors d’oeuvre. The taste was so pure--just beans, good olive oil and the sweet fat of the fried bits of guanciali. Another evening, a small plate of polpettini--tiny deep-gold meatballs, one of Mauro’s favorites--arrive seasoned with cheese, breadcrumbs and herbs. Part of the tasting menu one night is a beautiful little salad of grated lemon cucumber and dry, crumbly ricotta salata. The grilled seppiolino (Mediterranean cuttlefish), sweeter than the more familiar calamari, is paired with an uptown version of a Tuscan panzanella, or bread salad. The crumbs are as fine as couscous and suffused with the flavors of tomato, cucumber and sweet basil. That woodburning rotisserie and grill turn out the main courses, everything from the occasional mixed grill to a delicious thick veal chop topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings, succulent free-range Sonoma duck or a Dover sole roasted with breadcrumbs, parsley and garlic.

Some of the more ambitious dishes don’t quite hit the mark, such as an ill-conceived pasta with artichoke in a sauce bound with egg yolk, or pallid grilled quail with radicchio and grape-must sauce. And I’ve never been a fan of tagliata--sliced steak--even if it is fashionable and cooked in the woodburning oven.

Sommelier Eugenio Spano, who also came from Rex, fills the wine list with some real treasures, such as Valpolicella and Amarone from Dal Forno in the Veneto, Percarlo from the Chianti estate San Giusto a Rentennano, and Fontalloro from Felsina, also in Chianti, along with a page of organic wines from Italy. Markups are high, though. That said, the wine service, including stemware, is excellent.

The cheeses are much more inspiring than the desserts and a relaxing way to linger at the table. Right now I like the hard Sardinian goat cheese with mostarda di Cremona, a sort of Italian chutney, and the mild, nutty pecorino wrapped in fresh grape leaves and served with figs. If you opt for cheese, Vincenti may send out a small plate of miniature cannoli, plus some little cookies, all very sweet the way the Italians like them. Finish off the evening with a tiny cup of intense Illy espresso or one of the digestivi from the bar. Vincenti lives up to the spirit of Mauro Vincenti, who was proud enough of Italy’s culinary tradition to insist on presenting the real thing to Los Angeles.

Vincenti

11930 San Vicente Blvd.

Brentwood

(310) 207-0127

Cuisine: Italian

Rating: ** 1/2

AMBIENCE: Sleek, contemporary Italian with bar at the front and woodburning rotisserie and grill.

SERVICE: Attentive and warm.

BEST DISHES: Fried calamari and zucchini, grilled seppiolino with panzanella, San Daniele prosciutto with burrata, spaghetti allo scoglio, bombolotti all’amatriciana, risotto with scampi and zucchini flowers, veal chop, roasted Dover sole, grilled orata, veal chop with Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings. Appetizers, $9 to $18; main courses, $16 to $36. Corkage, $15.

WINE PICKS: 1998 Martinetti Minaia, Piedmont, Italy; 1997 Scavino Barbera d’Alba Affinato in Carati, Piedmont, Italy.

FACTS: Open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday, lunch on Friday only. Valet parking. Rating is based on food, service and ambience, with price taken into account in relation to quality. eeee: Outstanding on every level. eee: Excellent. ee: Very good. e: Good. No star: Poor to satisfactory.