There are many things at Zooma to appreciate: a creative and careful chef; a cool, elegant atmosphere; windows opening onto the street; and even convenient hours — open Monday evenings and daily for lunch. What more could you want from a new place? Well-trained staff and impeccable service? Zooma’s got ’em.

Unbeknownst to us (until the end of the meal), it was our waitress’s first night on the job. Sure, she had to consult the kitchen about many of our menu questions. But she was pleasant, attentive, and friendly. And, perhaps most importantly, she knew when to ask someone else to find the right answer.

She did explain the trattoria-style menu, in which everything is ordered a la carte, from salads to sides, with an appetizer-sized portion for the pastas under primi piatti. She was spot-on with fresh-ground Romano or black pepper; she cleared used cutlery and dishes at just the right moment. In short, Zooma’s service lived up to the promise of sparkling white linens and crisp black accents in the sparely decorated dining room.

And the food matched the shiny stainless-steel surfaces in the open kitchen; it gleamed on our taste buds. We began with the peperoni arostiti ($9), a plate of house-made wood-grilled peppers, both red and yellow, garnished with chopped tomato and fresh mint and surrounded by mixed Itrani olives (from the Itri region). Bellissimo!

Our next course was tagliatelle con funghi ($13), a scrumptious dish, made from frozen porcinis sauteed with garlic, parsley, white wine, and butter on definitely al dente noodles. This was one of those simple preparations that sparked many sensory reactions to texture, taste and fragrance.

For our secondi piatti, we chose pan-seared semolina-encrusted cod loin ($17) for me, and veal braciola ($15) for Bill. All conversation ceased because we were enjoying our respective entrées so much. The thick piece of cod was perfectly cooked and set atop an escarole and vidalia salad. Bill’s slices of rolled veal were packed with capicola, a bit of Romano and mozzarella, and they were surrounded by a hearty marinara. His Italian genes were firing on all cylinders, and he smiled between each bite.

Bill had wisely ordered a side of Swiss chard, which was braised and seasoned the best of any chard in recent memory outside my own kitchen. My trick is to sauté the stems before adding the chopped leaves and to simmer, not try to "flash" it, as in some restaurants. The result, as at Zooma, is tender and flavorful. Here it also had a wonderful dash of hot pepper sauce.

The desserts at Zooma are — need I say it? — to die for. They consist of homemade gelatos, house-made tiramisu, golden raisin bread pudding, chocolate ganache cake, and our choice, chocolate hazelnut tortina ($8). As its name connotes, this was a tiny torte, oozing with chocolate, crunchy with hazelnuts, a scoop of hazelnut gelato on top. Fat blueberries pushed against each side of the tortina, and a chocolate and berry sauce was liberally drizzled over all.

This was just the dose of chocolate I craved with which to finish off my nice glass of Montepulciano. Zooma’s wine list, especially the Italian reds, seems carefully chosen, offering many excellent possibilities. There is also a good selection of dessert wines.

The décor is restful, the walls in shades of aubergine and lime, with a large mural along one side of the dining room. It’s a reproduction of the bottom third of a 1534 fresco called "The Fall of the Giants" by Giulio Romano, from the Palazzo del Te in Mantua. Bill found it "clunky" and distracting, but I was bemused by its crude representations of a story from Greek mythology in which Jupiter and Hercules defeat the monster-like Giants. And there they lie, their faces contorted, their over-muscled biceps clutching at the boulders that have crushed them. Perhaps it’s not the most engaging image to stare at over a meal, but executive chef Giacomo Iannelli — formerly at Caffe Itri and also exec chef at Pane e Vino — favored this fresco.

The lounge at the front of Zooma is hip and hoppin’. A wraparound bar in shining stainless steel; tall tables and chairs in black and silver; two TV screens running a black-and-white classic with subtitles, so that the sound doesn’t amp up the noise in the bar. Zooma makes good use of its wood-burning oven and serves wood-grilled pizzas until the bar closes.

Judging from the food and service we experienced in the dining room, eating in the lounge or at the bar would be just as great. Or better still, in the growing warmth of late spring, you could sit by the open windows or even out on the sidewalk and believe for a few quick seconds that you really are in Itri.