Restaurateur Scott Beck, owner of the redoubtable Match in South Norwalk, leaked this tasty morsel to my publisher, who, in turn, told me: One of Beck's favorite places to eat is a new, little luncheria that specializes in la cocina Venezolana . The boys at Luncheria Valencia refine the definition a bit further, calling their cuisine Venezuelan beach food.

Beck may well regret sharing his restaurant preferences with a journalist, and, truth be told, as I write this I confess to feeling ambivalent about publicizing this wonderfully idiosyncratic eatery which seats only 16 people and has, from what I observed, a kitchen staff of three: co-owners Michael Young and Nabil El Mazri and their helper Marisol. Summer help may be needed sooner than they anticipated.

Open since last Halloween, Luncheria Valencia has won over an interesting array of repeat customers, appealing to both local Hispanics and non-Hispanics, which speaks to the food's authenticity as well as the friendly bi-linqual atmosphere. I visited on three consecutive days, twice for lunch and once for breakfast. No problem obtaining a table (for now) or hanging out for a while to absorb the vibe, which definitely has a tropical beach bent with bright mandarin-orange and melon-colored walls, chunks of coral, coconuts in their husks, pineapples and mangos decorating a bright red corner shelf. I've always liked the idea of using cooking ingredients as decor, as Valencia does with the colorfully packaged sacks of P.A.N., the pre-cooked yellow or white cornmeal used in making arepas (handmade corn cakes) and tamales, among other things, featuring a Latina wearing a polka-dotted bandana and big hoop earrings.

A woman I had noticed at lunch on my first visit was back again the next day with a new friend for lunch. (She was contemplating having Valencia cater a shabat dinner.) Hispanic families came in to order arepas to pick up later to take home. A local laborer dropped by in the morning to place a lunch order. "My hamburger and 20 arepas for the guys," he called over his shoulder, confirming his order as he walked out the door.

"Do you want me to pick out the fillings?" Young queried from the kichen.

"You just do it all," the guy responded before climbing into his pick-up truck. "See ya' at 1."

Nearly everybody who ate at the luncheria over those three days left with more food than they ordered to eat themselves, bringing freshly squeezed jugos, grinders and sandwich wraps back to friends and co-workers.

Valencia seems to be doing such a consistently steady business that it's got the proprietor of the empty Chinese restaurant next door clearly perplexed. Several times during one of my lunch visits he peered into the luncheria with a look of wonder on his face.

Flanked by sacks of P.A.N. harina de maiz, two flags--American and Venezeulan--hang above a large blackboard in front of a small counter where you place your orders and pay for them later. Valencia's menu reflects a unique mixture of American food sensibilities and authentic Venezuelan cookery. Take, for instance, the very American concept of the Blue Plate Special. At Valencia, on any given day, the Blue Plate Special could be meatloaf or pollo escabeche, wherever the chef's whim takes him. In either case, it will cost $6 at lunch, $8 at dinnertime, and will include one side dish, either rice, beans, salad, avocado, plantains or the daily special salad. Additional sides cost a mere 50 cents.

That the food is freshly prepared, uses quality ingredients and is inexpensive is sufficient cause for rejoicing. Add to that the unexpected, aesthetically pleasing presentation of dishes-- ceviche served in a white bowl sprouting plantain chips, or paella served in an individual-size wok burgeoning with shell fish, chicken and chorizo--and you know you're not in Blue Plate Special country anymore, or Kansas for that matter.

Young wears a bandana tied around his head in the style of the Latina on the P.A.N. package (sans hoop earrings). As the chef at Ocean Drive, Young displayed his talents for cooking seafood, garnering Best Seafood Restaurant in the Weekly 's Best of Fairfield Readers' Poll for 2003. The ceviche of fresh shrimp and scallops "cooked" in three citrus juices--lemon, lime and orange--exemplifies Valencia's "Eat Fresh" motto. This ceviche was on the sweet side (thanks to the orange juice) and less acidic than others I've had, but I loved it for that quality. It contained lots of jumbo shrimp halved lengthwise and meaty, sweet scallops and a melange of chopped cucumber, red, green and yellow bell pepper, diced fresh tomato, slivers of red onion and avocado, chopped cilantro and a dice of jalapeno for a little heat--all the ingredients that go into a great gazpacho, only this was more seafood than soup. The ceviche comes in two sizes ($7/$11), but you'll regret not getting the bowl.

I was disappointed with the paella (a bit dried out and not enough saffron flavor for me), but I think I would have been better pleased had I come in on a Sunday when it's the special (at $9 per person) or if I'd called ahead and had it cooked to order, which you can do anytime with 30 minutes notice. Paella must be cooked to order; if it stands around at all, it's just not as good.

Nabil El Mazri is from Venezeula, and wears a baseball cap at all times, especially when being photographed. Not that he aspires to be a Yankee (as in gringo , not ballplayer). But his sombrero, an attractive white straw cowboy hat with a black band, has been pressed into service as the luncheria's tip bowl and sits on the counter by the cash register.

El Mazri has a charming way of getting you to eat more than your fill. After a breakfast of an arepa stuffed with scrambled eggs and queso blanco, seasoned with liberal squirts of hot sauce and a bright green and incredibly delicious cilantro sauce, he siddled up to my table and tempted me with another Venezuelan specialty. This pan de jamón is only eaten on Christmas in Venezuela, he explained, but Valencia makes it often, and one can see why it's become a customer favorite. This white, soft-textured bread is stuffed with smoked ham, green olives and raisins--a remarkable combination of flavors that blows away the typical breakfast ham and cheese croissant.

But if Valencia has a signature dish it's the arepas it serves with a number of fillings (all around $3). Found in many South American cuisines, arepas are a distinctly native dish, meaning they came from the indigenous people of South America and not the Spanairds who conquered them. On the coast of Colombia, arepas are made out of plantain flour, stuffed mostly with fish and eaten anytime of the day. Inland, they're a breakfast food only, made from corn flour, and served with queso blanco, butter and salt.

The Venezuelans get fancy with their version of these round, handmade corn cakes, frying them or roasting them on a skillet, then opening them like a crispy pita bread and stuffing them with stews, meats, cheeses, beans and vegetables. We sampled an arepa stuffed with carne mechada, a beef stew made with green peppers, olive oil, pimentos, onions, canned tomatoes and, in some recipes, Worchestershire sauce. This stew was mild, so we zipped it up with a splash of the hot sauce made available at the table. Watch out! These arepas are addictive.

The fresh tropical jugos are also not to be missed. Customers are encouraged to get creative with juice combinations. We tried beet, carrot, ginger and apple on our first visit and were very pleased with the sweet results. Second time around we ordered mango and ginger and a friend ordered plain mango, which was ... too plain for our taste. Next time, we'll try batidos, a sort of Venezuelan milk shake or smoothie made from fresh mango, pineapple, papaya, banana, berry, melon, or avocado juice blended with milk and ice. We hear the avocado batido is killer.

Valencia is open for breakfast and lunch on weekdays and dinner on weekends and Friday nights. Don't tell too many of your friends, especially if they happen to be journalists. Buen provecho!

Hours: Open Mon. - Wed. 6 a.m.-3 p.m.; Thurs. & Fri. 6 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sat. 7 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun. 8 a.m.-8 p.m.


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Extras:

Cuisine Other (Venezuelan beach food), Latin American Extras About 15 tables on premises Meals Served Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Payment Method Cash Only, Checks Reservations No Services Catering, Private Parties, Carry Out Spirits BYOB