Cal Mare transports Angelenos to Italy’s soulfulness with its upscale coastal décor and delicious Italian dishes. The menu highlights seafood from both the Mediterranean and Pacific Ocean, as well as fresh handmade pastas and brick oven pizzas.

Chef Joe Sasto, a finalist in Season 15 of “Top Chef,” has opened Cal Mare with Michael Mina and Adam Sobel. (photo by Jill Weinlein)

Cal Mare, opened by executive chef Joe Sasto, of Season 15 of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” with chefs Michael Mina and Adam Sobel, sits on the ground floor of the newly redesigned Beverly Center. The name combines California’s nickname with the word “mare,” which means “sea” in Italian, a fusion reflected also in the restaurant’s interior, designed by Bishop Pass. On one wall, aqua-colored tiles have been laid like fish scales; on another, off-white brick walls give the space an Italian tavern feel. The large bar in the center features bright pink bougainvillea hanging down where bartenders make creative drinks in an elegant, yet convivial ambiance.

We began the night with flutes of Vignale di Cecilia Val di Spin, a sparkling white wine. With the first sip, I detected crisp notes of Granny Smith apple and Meyer lemon. This refreshing bubbly paired perfectly with the amuse-bouche brought to our table, which featured a smear of apple purée with homemade mozzarella, and toppings of delicate smoked trout roe and chives. I followed up my first drink with an orange Aperol Spritz made with Aperol, prosecco and soda, but the restaurant also offers a variety of modern Italian cocktails with names like “3-Piece Suit” made with gin, and “Lucky 13” made with bourbon.

Spikey sea urchin, a showstopper, is served warm with white sturgeon caviar. (photo by Jill Weinlein)

The first appetizer was a masterpiece, featuring a spiky purple sea urchin on a bed of salt. The Santa Barbara uni on top was warm and savory, slicked with melted lardo and white sturgeon caviar on top. Its flavors evoked the salty sea.

We also enjoyed the baked diver scallops, upgraded with Calabrian chile peppers, capers, garlic breadcrumbs, Sicilian oregano and Castelvetrano olives.

The plate with a Grassy Bar oyster from Morro Bay arrived with a beautiful purple flower adorning the shell. The raw oyster was spiked with Limoncello granita and pink peppercorns.

Chef Sasto wanted us to taste two of his crudo plates, so he sent out tastings of amberjack with grilled avocado, golden satsuma and shaved fennel, and yellowfin tuna crudo topped with chopped kiwi, black olive and coriander. The dynamic flavors were incredibly refreshing.

A must-order at Cal Mare is the bite-sized potato focaccia pinwheels, made with potato and basil pesto. Parmigiano-Reggiano fondue is swirled on each one, completing the savory treat.

We also tried a new delectable dish made with sugar snap peas and yellow wax beans alongside Sonoma County’s Bellwether Farms smoked ricotta and chopped speck.

Since pasta is Sasto’s passion, we ordered two house favorites – the beet campanelle and lobster agnolotti. For the first dish, the chef turns the beet into something incredible. He bakes, pickles and dehydrates the beet from root to leaf. The pasta is then topped with crispy flash-fried sage and sesame seeds. The dish can be ordered plain or with a ladle from the chef’s special pot of Bolognese sauce.

The lobster agnolotti is made with whipped burrata, stinging nettle and lobster roe butter with crushed pink peppercorns to glaze the pasta. Sasto uses all the lobster from head to tail. It was delicious.

The last dish we ordered was the freshwater prawn scampi served butterflied with Calabrian chile peppers, garlic and wine broth with a sprinkling of fresh coriander, basil and pepper. Sasto dredges the head in flour to fry up crispy for guests yearning to eat Italian style.

At the end of our meal, our server rolled a digestive cart to our table with an array of bottles. We could choose from Limoncello and other after-dinner digestives and settled on three different light and refreshing Limoncello drinks – the grapefruit-tarragon, the Meyer lemon with verbena and the classic lemon.

Desserts include an Italian iced coffee with a trio of mini cannoli; a chocolate pudding with hazelnut crunch and a sprinkling of salted caramel; and Harry’s Berries strawberries bathed in lime juice and sea salt. We settled on the strawberries, which our server drizzled with 25-year-old balsamic vinegar to enhance the flavors. It was also served with a refreshing gelato made from Sasto’s $30,000 Italian gelato machine. The gelato at Cal Mare was, in fact, so good that we ordered more – a combo that included a scoop of Meyer lemon gelato and my favorite, a vanilla-cherry gelato featuring chocolate shavings, malt candy and pieces of fresh cherry.

Next time you crave pasta and seafood, Cal Mare’s pleasing dishes will inspire a blissful experience that leaves you wanting more.

The restaurant opens at 4 p.m. daily for dinner. On Sunday, it opens at 10 a.m. for brunch. $$ 131 La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, (424)332-4595.