If you were elected to city council, your first act would be to erect a Little Italy. Devotional saint statures, accordion music, and cannoli would certainly boost the city’s stature.

Your platform’s jumping off point: tonight’s opening of Cicchetti Kitchen & Bar.

Serafina’s sleek sister restaurant offers a brief but exciting menu of small plates with Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Moroccan influences. Tuck your fork into Turkish fried eggplant, Moroccan lamb and lentils, octopus with salsa verde and chickpeas, a sliced orange and fennel arugula salad, or desserts like gooey ricotta fritters in a huckleberry sauce.

Venetian glass lighting hangs over the first floor bar with a view of the wood-fire oven. Upstairs, find strategically placed windows capturing Lake Union and downtown.

It’s truly Nolita feat.

Cicchetti Kitchen & Bar, 121 East Boston Street (206-854-4155 or serafinaseattle.com).

Photo: Courtesy of Cicchetti Kitchen & Bar