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The Brooklyn Paper / Magdalene Perez

Penne for your thoughts: The scene at Epoca, below, is relaxed and romantic, but don’t let that distract you from an order of the Zabaione Fresco, above, a custard that is worth spending some extra time on the treadmill for.

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The Brooklyn Paper / Magdalene Perez

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The sleek, romantic vibe at Epoca, the new Italian eatery in Fort Greene, is no match for the enthusiastic diners the spot draws.

“That lasagna was off the hook,” one woman shouted across the tranquil room to owner Rudy Accornero on a recent Friday night, and more than a few other diners stopped their hushed chatter to nod in agreement.

Since opening in June, Accornero and chef Andrea Borio have cultivated this kind of interaction; creating a spot that’s both chic and friendly, with the look of a polished bistro but the soul of a neighborhood lunch counter.

Sitting down to dinner recently, I felt like I had found a new pocket of the city; this wasn’t the old hat faux-French restaurant that Fort Greene is known for, and the crowd spilling out onto Fulton Street made me feel like I was watching a block party from the other side of the windows.

My focus wasn’t on them for long, though; my eyes were trying to take in the oversized glass of sangria that had made its way to the table. Despite the wine list that Accornero has accumulated, the fruity glass of red was a great way to start the night.

Just in time to join the sangria, a plate of “frittura con verde,” fried calamari, shrimp and shoestring zucchini fries; and the “trio di bruschette,” three small tastes of bruschetta (one classic tomato, one speck and brie, and one grilled shrimp, avocado and mustard) landed on the table.

The plate of fried sea creatures was outstanding. The shrimp tasted fresh — though we would have loved to see more than two — and the calamari rings — without, much to my delight, the squid’s bodies — were expertly done. The real standout here was the zucchini, which, lightly battered but still crisp and salty, should be a side dish on its own.

The bruschetta trio was tasty but, with only three pieces, required messy cutting and too much sharing to be a smart option for a group.

Entrees, sized for sharing, definitely didn’t have the same problem.

An order of spinach and saffron risottos — half a plate of each, arranged like a black and white cookie — was almost too pretty to dig into (but we managed). Unlike the spinach portion, the saffron-hinted rice was a bit too subtle for me — and the whole plate would have benefited from a protein. Spoonful after spoonful of the creamy dish was almost too much of a good thing.

Plenty of protein swam its way into the “spaghetti di mare,” that night’s special pasta. Clams, salmon and squid were tossed with lightly dressed noodles that showed off the chef’s talent with seafood and summery fare.

The same can be said for “Rudy’s Grill,” the owner’s namesake special that allows a diner to pair a meat, two sides and sauce to create his own favorite dish.

We chose “Rudy’s Grand Platter,” a wooden plank topped with Italian sausage, smoked scamorza cheese and a ribeye.

Everything here was seared perfectly. The meat was juicy and well seasoned, and that was before we dragged it all through the boat of gorgonzola sauce — tasty, but way too thin — that came on the side. Other sauce choices included a mint-lime number that worked well for seafood, but was too citrusy for meat; and a port reduction that was a bit too heavy for a summer night.

In the name of research, we soldiered on and ordered dessert. At Accornero’s suggestion, we tried the “cioccolatissimo,” a tasty version of molten chocolate cake that came with a nice gelato. Though many long for molten chocolate cake to take its place in the trendy food graveyard, I had to admire this tasty version.

It was no match for the “zabaione fresco,” though.

The cold, creamy mousse, layered with fresh berries, was tremendously rich but never too heavy, and is what people must dream of as they eat saccharine sweet, fruit-flavored yogurt for breakfast.

So, while I never made it to the fabled lasagna, and I hadn’t had quite enough sangria to yell across the room at the owner, the woman whose announcement started my night ended up being quite prophetic.

Since I didn’t tell anyone at the restaurant, I’ll just say it here: my own experience at Epoca was pretty off the hook as well.

©2007 Community Newspaper Group