The Gossiping Gourmet:

Walking into Canaletto, we were reminded of an Italian brasserie in Venice. Once inside this large Fashion Island restaurant, you actually feel you’re about to mangiare mangiare in Italia. The white marble counter tops, the rich brown woods, the barrel-vaulted ceiling and white napery feel authentic. The menu also has a genuine ring to it, perhaps because Executive Chef Maurizio Mazzon was born and trained in Venice.

The vast room is divided into the bar, dining rooms, outdoor eating areas and the salumeria, which is a small bar where you can eat while watching the chef serve up freshly sliced cured meats. It’s a great spot for dining solo. The breads are especially good. An olive roll, a whole grain roll and slices of classic ciabatta arrived crusty and hot from the oven.

Polipo con patate is a warm baby octopus and potato salad that is unique and really divine. The little rounds of seafood were incredibly tender and had a delicious grilled exterior. They were mixed with tiny cubes of potato, also crispy from the grill. Celery and red onion provided contrast, and the olive oil and lemon dressing was perfectly balanced. A similar dressing cloaked the sarde in saor. The three large filets of fresh, skinless sardines had been sautéed, then marinated with sweet and sour white onions to make a delicate escabèche with a hint of sweetness. The result was very flavorful without any trace of fishiness.

Pizza is no longer the bailiwick of Italians. Nowadays, we have the opportunity to sample so many wonderful pizzas, so we were disappointed with Canaletto’s limp offering. The quattro stagione, a pizza in four sections, features ham, artichokes, mushrooms and mozzarella. Surprisingly, the wood-fired thin crust was soggy and spread with a very acidic tomato sauce. None of the ingredients had a distinctive taste — the mushrooms in particular were pallid.

We tried one of the specialties of the house, the vermicelli cassopipa, for our main dish. It was described on the menu as pasta strands with fish ragu, clams, mussels, scallops and grape tomatoes served tableside. We watched Andrew, our extremely professional and equally charming waiter, toss the pasta with loving care and serve it for us to share. When he returned to ask us how we liked it, we told him that the pasta was extremely spicy, something not indicated on the menu. Surprised to hear this, he was most apologetic and said it is usually quite mild, then offered to have it prepared again (it’s so pleasant to be in a restaurant where the staff seems to really care about your dining experience). We declined because we enjoy spicy food.

Back to the pasta ... the tomato ragu was a thick sauce made with tiny bits of octopus and vegetables, grape tomatoes, white wine and parsley. Oh yes, and hot peppers. Two mussels, two clams and two scallops garnished the dish. The seafood was just fair, clams were chewy and the mussels were small and on the dry side. The pasta itself was well cooked with a nice al dente bite.

We felt nostalgia at the arrival of a heavily laden dessert trolley, a thing of the past. If you were thinking of skipping dessert, the appearance of the trolley in all its whipped-cream glory will probably change your mind. In order to avoid dissension in the ranks, we chose the dolce trio so we could sample a selection. The tiramisu was the best we’ve had in recent memory. Plump, house-made ladyfingers were soaked in rum-laced espresso and layered with creamy mascarpone, then dusted with cocoa powder. All the flavors were separate and distinct, and the ladyfingers were cloud-like puffs. The crespelle were tangy apple filled crepes with caramel sauce and creamy vanilla ice cream, but the chocolate mousse cake was too sweet and didn’t taste “chocolaty” enough.

If you can’t afford the airfare, a trip to Canaletto is like a night in Venice.

Canaletto

Where: 545 Newport Center Drive, Fashion Island, Newport Beach

When: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Prices: Appetizers $4.99 to $14.99; entrées $13.99 to $41.99; desserts $7.59 to $12.99

Wine: Bottles $30 to $450; by the glass $7.50 to $17.95; corkage fee $20

Information: (949) 640-0900 or www.ilfornaio.com/canaletto

ELLE HARROW and TERRY MARKOWITZ owned A La Carte for 20 years and can be reached at [email protected] .