The more thickly settled South County becomes, the more business opportunities are carved out for tourists and destination events, such as weddings or conferences. Thus, when Westerly's Venice opened about two years ago, the expansive dining room and comfortable lounge were capped by a second-floor ballroom and an ocean-view bar, the better to accommodate large functions.

This made it a bit unnerving, on a Monday night in mid-January, to have the entire dining room to ourselves. But the hail-fellow-well-met conversation of locals in the lounge and the charming friendliness of Eric, our waiter, ameliorated any shivers of loneliness. We were, after all, our own festive party of three, intent on fanning the fire of friendship on this chilly evening.

We also felt pampered in our surroundings, the deep burgundy in linens and chair seats combining with the reddish glow of hardwood wainscoting and the pastel colors of prints of Venice's grand canals. The stucco-like room divider, with Italianate planters full of flourishing vines and spiky leaves, which run down the middle of the rectangular dining area, created more intimacy for the tables on either side.

In contrast to the spaciousness at the Venice, the menu doesn't ramble on (thank heavens!) for pages and pages. It's confined to seven pastas, six entrees, and two specials. Yet there is variety among these options, from rigatoni to cavatelli in the pastas, and from swordfish to T-bone or pork chops in the entrees. I zeroed in on the once-again PC swordfish, Bill on a scallop special, and our friend Ginny on a penne primavera, and each was accompanied by a different kind of pasta.

Bill's large sea scallops ($16.95) floated atop a nest of linguine that had been liberally tossed with a pink vodka sauce plus kalamata olives and sun-dried tomatoes. He loved the slight smokiness of the sauce and the just-right pan-seared scallops. For my tastes, the sauce could have been zippier, but the scallops were indeed terrific.

As was my thick medallion of grilled swordfish, done to perfection and accompanied by a puttanesca sauce over capellini ($16.95). I very much appreciated the strong-flavored puttanesca -- with capers, anchovies, and pitted kalamatas in a tomato base -- being served on the side and not on top of the fish, so that I could go back and forth from delicate to bold flavors. I don't usually mind less than al dente pasta, but the cappelini was definitely overcooked.

Ginny's penne primavera ($8.95) promised summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and broccoli and it delivered on these, plus grated carrots and chopped sweet red peppers. The veggies were to have been sauteed in garlic and extra virgin olive oil with Romano tossed in, but very little of the last three ingredients was apparent and I agreed with Ginny's disappointment that the whole was rather bland.

Our appetizers -- steamed mussels ($5.95) and a mesclun salad ($3.95) -- had plenty of spark, however. A generous serving of mussels with white wine and herbs in the broth (great for dipping the excellent bread into) made us feel right at home, and the mesclun greens, adorned with just two wedges of tomato, were a refreshing mid-course.

The two house-made desserts are tiramisu and chocolate truffle cake, though cheesecake and biscotti are also available. Despite, or perhaps because of, the omnipresence of tiramisu ($5.95) at Italian restaurants, we seldom order it, but we were pleased that this time we did. Its layers were nicely melded, so you didn't get a dry piece of ladyfinger here and a clump of Mascarpone there, or a jolt of espresso in one corner and a bit of chocolate in the other. It was one of the most delicious versions I've had in years, an opinion shared by my tablemates, since we split the dessert three ways.

Venice has a comprehensive wine list, with reds and whites from domestic, Italian and French sources, plus an Australian red and a New Zealand white. The lounge has its own menu, which includes grilled pizza, sandwiches, salads, appetizers, and one pasta. The restaurant also has an $11.95 pasta bar every Wednesday and a $12.95 brunch on Sundays.

Venice may be quiet in the winter, but so is most of South County west of URI. For those of us who live here, this time of year is a respite, but for restaurant owners, it's just the calm before the storm. Make your way down to Venice before the summer crowds, and you won't even need a gondola to get here.

Issue Date: February 8 - 14, 2002