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Among the myriad bright, sprawling restaurants that line the north side of broad Emmons Ave., Il Fornetto is comparatively cozier and less brash, but still, solidly Brooklyn. Bypass the relatively generic café at the entrance for the window-lined dining room, with views of Sheepshead Bay's sleepy marina, where swans preen at the water's edge, courtesy of the Parks Department. A ceiling framed in exposed timber, Tuscan-inspired orange and beige tile tables and floors, terra cotta potted plants, and metal lanterns provide an alluring backdrop. And the seafood and Italian favorites measure up to the ambiance's standard: Flavorful but gently prepared dishes showcase fresh little neck clams, mussels, scallops, and scampi, served with pasta or without. Il Fornetto means small oven, and the carefully constructed thin crust pizzas and rigatoni al Fornetto, made with eggplant and mozzarella, are baked in a wood-fired brick one, along with the whole fish of the day. Veal, chicken and steak satisfy carnivores and brine-fresh oysters and clams can be consumed unadorned, on the half-shell. — Gabrielle Mitchell-Marell

Il Fornetto caters private parties, family celebrations, and corporate events, and offers a nightly prix fixe dinner for parties up to 20 diners. Pony-fanciers can watch the trotters in the adjacent café/lounge, and smoking's still ok in the outdoor café.

Paesana pizza, $14