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Via Delle Zoccolette means “Street of the Pretty Girl,” and while the lovelies of Avenue A defy easy description, the top half of this restaurant is lovely indeed, outfitted with hardwood floors and modern couches in an elegant bar-lounge. The first level, a floor below, is considerably less fetching, with a big-screen TV, a loud stereo, wooden chairs, and a wall of windows. The same split identity is reflected in the menu of pedestrian pastas and tastier Venetian seafood. So while the spaghetti’s ho-hum and the lasagna’s hyper-gooey, the seafood, from starters to entrees, reveals the kitchen’s enthusiasm for Venetian coastal cuisine. Appetizers and a raw bar compose cicchetti, Venetian-style palate-teasers made up of a variety of sea creatures, designed to supply bite-sized morsels. But here, portions are more American than Italiano; typical is the huge bowl of dozens of mussels steamed with a flavorful broth of white wine, garlic, fresh parsley, and pepper flakes. Follow the seafood theme through to the entrees with a melt-in-your-mouth, medium-rare salmon grilled to order, served atop a bed of spinach infused with a citrusy, acid-sweet grapefruit essence. Not precisely Venetian, granted, but more than welcome on the plate. — Laurel Fantauzzo

Salmon, $15.50; steamed mussels, $8.95