SEEMS like it’s always bitter cold when I go to New Brunswick, and my recent Saturday night visit was no exception. So imagine my delight when I saw that Due Mari, the latest brainchild of proprietor Francois Rousseau and Executive Chef/partner Michael White, offered valet parking. Sign me up!

   We hustled ourselves into the restaurant, to be warmly welcomed and seated promptly. Our table to the right of the entrance was a bit drafty (more sheltered seating is to the left, it turns out), but as soon as we started eating we were fine. At the center of the restaurant is a round bar with a dramatic “bush” of wavy twigs reaching high. Behind that is a raw bar dispensing platters of oysters and large bowls of seafood cocktails nestled in dark seaweed.

   Due Mari (the name, which means “two seas,” refers to the Atlantic and the Mediterranean) is one of the more comfortable restaurants around, with lots of warm wood surfaces, well-spaced tables, controlled noise, and lighting that is dramatic but soft enough to be flattering. Walls are painted in ocean and earth tones like teal and ochre, and carefully angled mirrors open up the space, and make it so that even diners who face a wall can see what’s going on behind them.

   The food delights too, with its focus on Italian (and especially Sicilian) seafood. We asked to see the cocktail and sfizi menu at the same time as the dinner menu. Sfizi are little appetizers, a “come on” to keep the table happy while sipping cocktails, but at $3 to $6, they can add up. On my next visit, I look forward to trying the marinated swordfish or the mortadella with Parmesan.

   The wine list is full of interesting Italian bottles, many from smaller producers. My friend enjoyed a glass of northern Italian Chardonnay ($10), while I opted for a red Sangiovese ($11). Slices of sourdough or multigrain bread were proffered by a server, along with a small dish of bean purée touched with olive oil. I asked for butter, and it came after a bit of a wait.

   I couldn’t resist trying both squid ($11) and octopus ($13) for appetizers. I’ve had disappointing calamari lately, mostly devoid of tentacles, which makes me suspicious of the whole dish. Not here; the crisp rings were liberally accompanied by clusters of tentacles and the lemon crema alongside was a refreshing — and addictive — choice. And grilled octopus, which is often over tenderized to the point of mush, was spot on here, over a bed of dressed olives, peppers, radicchio and ceci. A very good start.

   While there is a tasting menu of four courses of pasta ($55), I find that one such course is plenty, especially if it is as delicious as the house made chitarra pasta with lobster and shrimp ($26). Chitarra is cut by pressing the dough over strings, so has squared off edges rather than round (Fante’s in Philadelphia sells chitarra presses on its Web site). It was delightfully springy and perfectly al dente. A small half lobster tail in its shell sat on top (it would have been nice to have more of that), and several good shrimp nestled around the sides, in light tomato sauce. There was a very slight heat from chilies and a touch of sweetness from Anisette Marie Brizard (a liqueur), the anise undertone reinforced by tarragon.

   Our other entrée, also from the sea, was fennel-crusted tuna ($27) over a potent eggplant capponato. Vin cotto (cooked down wine), basil oil, and salmoriglio (a bath of olive oil, salt, garlic, oregano, parsley and lemon), finished it off. We ordered the tuna medium rare; it arrived closer to raw, but delicious it was, striated with fat, and as rich as beef. Portions here, and lately elsewhere I’ve noticed, are modest, but still plenty. Recession, I thank you for right-sizing my plate.

   Pastry Chef Denise Cinque’s desserts ($8), such as hazelnut apple tart and a dark chocolate tartaletta, have been highly praised, but instead we shared a selection of three artisanal cheeses ($12). Stilton was perched atop slices of Fuji apple; pecorino was accompanied by pear and currant chutney, and luxurious Brillat-Savarin was enlivened by cherry compote. Two oval slices of toast came on the side.

   Service was a tad bumpy, although the staff was generally well trained. But not quite well enough to avoid what felt like interruptions to hear specials (sadly recited without prices), etc., and we were asked if we were “still working on that” during one course, or something close. We had to prompt for extra plates to share dishes, although we mentioned our intention at the start, and our espresso ($2.95 and very good) orders got mixed up, which may have been a language issue, but the mistake also appeared on our bill, so had to be corrected a second time.

   I had my mind firmly fixed on a “very good to excellent” rating before I saw a recent TIMEOFF review by my colleague Antoinette Buckley, with a matching rating of this team’s Due Terre in Bernardsville. The two restaurants have much in common on the menus, and in ownership and chefs, including talented Executive Chef Bill Dorrier and Ms. Cinque. Partner Michael White, known as “The Mario of Midtown” (New York Magazine), is also an owner of the well-regarded Convivio in Manhattan. So we have some big city chops here in central New Jersey, and that is a great thing. Even in this economy, Due Mari should do well. 