It was a simple Friday night plan: a nice drink followed by a light dinner in a lively atmosphere close to home. We stopped into Gjelina for a pre-meal drink.

Me: “Hi, We’d just like a drink. Is that the bar area?” (pointing to small space next to the bar)

Hostess: “We don’t really have a bar but you can get a drink from there and then stand against the wall.”

Pay $12 for a glass of wine and then “stand against the wall” to drink it? I don’t think so. Yeah, I know that’s their “thing,” making people line up against the wall like hungry waifs in an Oliver Twist movie waiting for supper at a communal table, but frankly, its not my idea of a relaxing night out. I need the minimum of pampering. Like, for example, a seat or barstool. Call me crazy.

Luckily, the trendy strip of pavement (which takes itself a bit too seriously in the last few years) known as Abbot Kinney Boulevard has a new eatery, a couple of blocks up from Gjelina, called The Tasting Kitchen. It too has communal tables; Mediterranean style ‘small plates’ for the same price as regular sized meals in other restaurants; the same set of local “nouveau Venice” hipsters; and a staff of catalogue models bobbing and weaving food and drink through the crowd. So, what sets it apart from its neighbor? The minimum of hospitality and people who actually seem happy that you showed up.

We stumbled upon The Tasting Kitchen on “Day 17” of its existence. For only being open just over 2-weeks everything seemed to operate quite smoothly. We arrived at about 7:00-ish on a Friday night, with no reservation. We were told that we could wait at the bar (yes, they have one) until space opened up. Seats became available immediately so we sat down at one of two communal tables in the bar area, the one next to the live DJ who spins on Friday nights. We chatted with our tablemates, and Maxwell the friendly waiter / bartender enthusiastically explained that the food and cocktails change daily, based on what the chef finds at the market, and handed us a hand-written menu stamped “XVII,” or Day 17, on the front.

We started with the aperitif we’d been thirsting for since we set that evening. Maxwell suggested “Dimmi,” ($10) an Italian grappa type distilled spirit shaken with fresh Meyer lemon and a hint of sugar. I was excited to try something I had not tasted before and it arrived chilled, garnished with a sliver of lemon peel. Simple, delicious perfection.

We ordered beets with blood oranges, fennel and crumbled pistachios ($11) and endive with hazelnuts and brown butter roasted apricots ($11) to begin. Every bite was perfect, fresh, left you wanting more. (These are served in bread plate sized portions, after all.)

The open floor plan lends itself to a high noise factor but the upbeat music enhanced our festive moods, and I ordered my next drink: Tuaca with muddled blood orange. ($8) My bad on that one. The drink was well executed but the Tuaca was too sweet to pair our food. Jason went for a glass of Italian white wine whose fresh and softly fruity notes were lovely alongside the broiled squid with beets, carrots and crème fraiche. ($13)

We followed that with a thick slice of grilled bread topped with fromage blanc, figs and walnuts ($9) and another round of wine, for both of us. And, because we were sharing each small portion, I felt absolutely zero guilt ordering a lovely apricot tart topped with almond ice cream ($8) to end a near-perfect meal.

The Tasting Kitchen is a great find in Venice and – whoopee - they’re open for lunch, as well. I know I will be a regular. I only wonder how large the menu will have to be when they get to “Day 879”…