Chaya in Venice Features a Different Look and Menu

“And thank you for your continuous support,” reads the last line.

No, it’s not another new line of alcoholic pop. It is the elegant announcement of the equally elegant Chaya Venice, 110 Navy St., Venice, (213) 396-1179, which opened last week near the corner of Main and Rose streets.

This spacious new Chaya looks different than its siblings, trendy Chaya Brasserie (meeting place of agents and actors) and tiny Chaya Diner (where the hip pinch pennies). It’s got a different menu too: You’ll find Chaya’s signature cross-cultural mix

with its elements of Italy, Japan and California, but here the emphasis is on fish.

I tried a seaweed salad sprinkled with tiny fried fish and a rather wonderful concoction consisting of shrimp-stuffed jalapenos that were deep-fried and served with guacamole. My favorite entree was crispy catfish in mustard sauce; my least favorite was a sort of sweet soup called “fish chili.”

The wine list here, as at Chaya Brasserie, is innovative, well-priced and doesn’t contain a single alcoholic pop.