Don't make the mistake of judging Il Carpaccio harshly by its setting. The restaurant occupies a storefront in a nondescript strip mall in Pacific Palisades, wedged between a Goodwill drop-off center and a video rental shop.

Within its walls, however, chef-owner Antonio Mure is demonstrating that you don't need a prime location in West Hollywood or Beverly Hills to turn out superior gourmet Italian fare. The service, meanwhile, is attentive, deferential and smoothly timed - Old World sensibilities that are a pleasure to encounter.

If carpaccio makes it into a restaurant's name, it makes sense to order something from the raw menu, and at our table that meant a special carpaccio of sea bass and urchin roe ($17). (Other carpaccio offerings on this night were duck, filet mignon, veal and ahi tuna.)

It was almost too pretty to eat - paper-thin medallions of the delicate white fish, overlaid on the plate like petals of a flower.

This dish would have been much better suited to a scorching summer evening. Ditto the grilled calamari on a bed of sauteed Swiss chard ($16) - nicely browned and perfectly tender tubes, with the tentacles separate for those squeamish about eating them.

But if it's wintry comfort food you seek, Il Carpaccio won't disappoint. First up was a special of porcini mushroom soup with tender chunks of lobster bobbing in it ($18). What a satisfying dish this was, with the lobster clearly dropped into the brew at the last instant so as not to cook off its succulence.

Hearty fare could be found among the main courses, too, notably roasted rabbit served with a sublime sauce of sage and lemon ($25).

The meat was wonderfully tender and savory. Another hit was a veal chop special ($45), smothered in a mushroom confit; the guy who ordered this at our table had also opted for the soup, and for a night he was lost in mushroom heaven.

But pasta seems an obvious choice here, especially when it's homemade. Squid ink tagliolini ($21) was studded with sauteed chunks of slipper lobster, braised red onions and arugula, and the balance of ingredients and flavors was perfect.

Mure vents a lot of creative energy in that kitchen, much of it on the spur of the moment, and that creates some challenges for the diner. We looked over an extensive printed menu and were tempted by no fewer than a half-dozen items.

Then the waiter arrived and ran down an exhaustive list of specials - two carpaccios, a soup, at least three pastas (it might have been four), two main courses. We lost track of the preparations and had to ask for reiteration. For his part, the waiter couldn't recall prices for many of them, and could give us only ballpark figures.

There is consolation, though: Based on our experience, I'm not sure you can make a wrong choice here.

At its best: Just a short hop up Sunset Boulevard from Pacific Coast Highway, Il Carpaccio's culinary mastery trumps those Malibu fish houses that offer an ocean view and little else.

Could be better: A printed menu insert of nightly specials - or a chalkboard on the wall - would greatly reduce the circuit overload of diners trying to keep track of as many as nine extra offerings. The Web site could use an upgrade - it doesn't list hours.

Eric Noland, (818) 713-3681 eric.noland@dailynews.com

Rating:

Details: 538 Palisades Drive, Pacific Palisades. Open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m. (Friday and Saturday to 10:30 p.m.); lunch Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. (310) 573-1411. www.ilcarpaccioristorante.com.

Cost: Carpaccio starters and salads $13.25 to $18, antipasti $9.50 to $17, pastas $16 to $21, main courses $24 to $38 (some specials higher), desserts $7.

Noteworthy: For a small suburban restaurant, the prices of the first courses skew a bit high. Everything is in the mid- to high-teens, and a simple mixed-greens salad is nowhere to be found. Six-course tasting menu available, but it must be ordered by the entire table; price varies. Dessert selection (all $7) is predictable - tiramisu, creme brulee, ricotta cheesecake, chocolate bar. After the hearty winter main courses, a lighter selection would be welcome.