A trio of outstanding pastas at La Balena.

There are many reasons to adore Carmel-by-the-Sea. It’s as picturesque as it gets, full of romance, and boasts a white sand beach that just begs you to doff your sandals and relax a long while.

Now, I have another reason to love it: La Balena.

The three-year-old restaurant is owned by Emanuele Bartolini, who used to work front-of-the-house for Mario Batali in New York. After vacationing here regularly with his wife, Anna, the couple finally decided to make the leap to this West Coast hamlet.

Bartonlini named his restaurant La Balena (“The Whale”) after those magnificent sea creatures he used to view when he served aboard ships in the military in Italy. It’s also a nod to the giant whale in his favorite story of “Pinocchio,” which was written by Carlo Collodi, a children’s writer who grew up in Florence, near where from Bartolini hails. In fact, his second restaurant, set to open in April just steps away, will be named Il Grillo (“The Cricket”), in reference to Jiminy Cricket.

La Balena’s namesake.

The pretty back patio.

This is Italian food with true soul wrapped around an abundance of fresh, local ingredients. Executive Chef Brad Briske describes it as “Monterey Bay Tuscan” food. He buys whole and half pigs, and butchers them, no easy feat in such a compact kitchen. All the salumi is made in-house, as well as almost all the pastas, with the lone exception being the spaghetti. But that may change in the future, as the restaurant just purchased a pasta extruder.

Briske cooked previously at Millennium in San Francisco, Flea Street Cafe in Menlo Park, and Gabriella Cafe in Santa Cruz. He counts Chef Sean Baker, formerly of Berkeley’s Gather and San Francisco’s Verbena, as his mentor.

The tiny back room with a display of wines.

A peek into the kitchen.

I was lucky enough to be invited to dine as a guest of the restaurant a few weeks ago when I happened to be in Carmel. And when I say “lucky,” I mean “lucky,” because the compact restaurant, which seats about 38 inside and another 20 on a back patio strung with lights, was turning away folks left and right on that Friday evening who didn’t have a reservation already. This place is super popular — for good reason. Carmel residents and regular visitors to the city who sat next to me repeatedly emphasized that it was their favorite restaurant in the area.

The menu changes every day, based upon what’s fresh and seasonal. In fact, Bartolini showed me a photo of a magnificent California yellow fin tuna sent to him by a local fisherman, who had just caught it and wondered if La Balena wanted it purchase it. Indeed. That night it was on the menu in two different dishes.

I enjoyed it as carpaccio ($16) with thin slices of the silky belly dressed with paper-thin shavings of raw artichokes, blood orange segments, fennel, capers, chile and a generous amount of good extra virgin olive oil. The portions here are generous, and this plate was no exception. I ate every bit, entranced by the freshness of the fish flavored with bright Mediterranean flavors.

Tuna carpaccio — as fresh and local as it gets.

Brussels sprouts you can’t stop eating.

The pastas are all $22. It’s hard to settle on just one. So if you ask nicely and the kitchen is not too slammed, you might just be able to sweet-talk the chef into providing a sampler plate of three, as he did with me. My trio consisted of: pappardelle with a ragu made from Pajaro Pastures duck; tagliattele alla menta with lamb ragu and olives; and ricotta gnocchi tossed with wild mushrooms, kale, truffle oil and bread crumbs. The gnocchi were tender and nicely caramelized. The papparadelle dish was rich with duck flavor and a subtle sweetness from long-simmered tomatoes. The tagliatelle, which had almost as much lamb as noodles, was rich, but lightened with the brininess of olives and a fresh burst of mint. The noodles themselves were incomparable — soft and toothsome. They rival some of the best that I’ve had in top San Francisco Italian restaurants.

A side of Brussels sprouts ($8) was positively addictive. The leaves, charred and fried, were as crisp as potato chips. They were dressed with sun-dried tomato and vinegar, giving them a captivating sweet-sour flavor that just made you want to eat more and more.

Cookies from an Italian bakery in Pacific Grove.

La Balena, unfortunately, doesn’t make its desserts in-house. They are either imported from Italy or purchased locally. I went with the “Emi’s Italian Cookie Plate” ($8), which included four good-sized cookies from Pacific Grove’s Emi’s Biscotteria that did not disappoint. The Amaretti with a candied cherry in the center was my favorite because I am a sucker for any baked good made with almond paste.

My travels don’t take me to Carmel very often. But La Balena now has me wishing I could visit all the time.

More: Scenes from GourmetFest 2015 in Carmel