Strong, Bold Flavors Turn Traditional Dishes Into Something New

Some contemporary menus, such as that of the new Lamont Street Grill in Pacific Beach, read almost like manifestos of the food service theories adopted by the area’s more progressive restaurants.

Simplicity probably is the keystone of these menus. Simplicity in this case does not signify plainness, but rather an emphasis on dishes that seem light, fresh and natural--just one dominant seasoning or unelaborate sauce to give a preparation character.

Seafood swims through almost every department of this particular breed of menu, counterbalanced by meat dishes that reinterpret long-popular regional specialties. And a personality--that of the owner or chef--seems to lurk just behind the print on these menus because they often give the impression of being an assemblage of one particular person’s favorite foods.

If Lamont Street Grill’s menu suggests anything about its author, it is that this is a person who likes strong, clear, bold flavors. There is no room here for tastes that tease or caress the taste buds; flavors must be broad-shouldered, clear-spoken and direct. This would be the food of an Army master sergeant or a rising young executive were it not for the occasional little twists that soften it into something better attuned to the gentle-natured souls of this city.

This insistence on outspoken flavorings sometimes produces brilliant results. The barbecued pork back ribs, for example, were possibly the best this writer has ever tasted, thanks in no small part to the sparkling, sizzlingly seasoned sauce that simultaneously offered sweet, pungent, spicy and hot sensations. The meat itself had been treated so well that it slipped willingly from the bone and nearly melted under the pressure of the fork. Although this sounds like a heavy meal, it was satisfying, partly because the sole garnish consisted of light, batter-fried zucchini.

But the cook’s predilection for palate-challenging sauces can also lead him astray. The sauce for the shrimp remoulade appetizer seemed designed more as a quick thrill than a lasting pleasure. Once its aggressive doses of horseradish and mustard had shocked the nose and tongue, it had little to offer. The shrimp so completely played second fiddle to this sauce that they seemed out of place on the plate.

A similar problem intruded on one evening’s vinaigrette salad dressing, which contained enough vinegar to send the average diner into a state of permanent pucker. This error was corrected on a second visit, thus doing a favor to the otherwise fine salad of crisp, simple greens sprinkled with feta cheese and walnuts.

But other than in these two cases, excess was not a problem at Lamont Street Grill. Most dishes had a lovely balance, and almost all seemed light and refreshing. A delightful cleverness underlay the simplicity of some, as in one evening’s special of chopped beefsteak mantled with blue cheese.

This dish may sound too much like the “hamburger steak” that once starred as the corner drugstore’s blue plate special, but it was in fact a superior dish, and one that transformed an old American favorite into something new by means of the simplest of expedients. Careful grilling gave the chopped steak a flavorful crust that trapped the juices inside the meat, while the rich, tangy flavor of the cheese endowed it with a more sophisticated flavor than hamburger could be expected to supply. The garnish of french fried onion rings and baked potato was perfect.

A pair of entrees chosen from the standing list displayed similar qualities. The grilled chicken brushed with a thin basting sauce of lemon juice, honey and tarragon combined the virtues of American-style barbecue cooking with the minor subtleties of the Japanese teriyaki method. The meat, boned and flattened, spent the exact length of time on the grill necessary to render it cooked but still juicily moist, and the tarragon added an herbal note to the lemon-honey combination that made it sharp and savory, rather than sour and sweet.

“Shrimp rosemary,” as the menu prosaically and somewhat misleadingly names a preparation of shrimp cooked in tomato sauce, contained several herbs, among which the advertised rosemary seemed to play a minor role. The dish had a strong, clean flavor, and the various parts fell together well, even the fettuccine that served as a bed for the shrimp in sauce. (Of course, this pasta-sauce combination would work well, but rice might have been more suitable a starch in the meal. Pasta really is best as a separate course.)

Other menu choices include chicken in mustard sauce, a top sirloin steak in mushroom sauce, halibut in bill sauce, grilled salmon and sauteed calamari (squid) steak. The appetizer list is brief, but for those who don’t mind eating cheese before the meal, the baked baby Brie smothered in almonds is quite nice. Also good is the salmon provencale, a thin slice poached in the oven under a flavorsome covering of tomatoes, garlic, onions and herbs.

The pastries are catered by Luann Manning, an “artisan” baker who concocts excellent desserts for just a few local restaurants. They receive shameful treatment at Lamont Street Grill, however, which insisted on microwave-heating both the rich triple-chocolate cake and the apple crumb cake. Neither needed to be heated to be enjoyable.

Lamont Street Grill may seem familiar to some guests, because the premises long were occupied by the once-popular Casina Valadier, which closed in August. The same arrangement of small, intimate rooms, all of which look out into a walled terrace, remains, but the color scheme has been updated to a smart, eye-soothing background of peach accented with gray. Tables are comfortably furnished and made especially attractive by the pots of miniature begonias that sit in the center of each.

Like any number of new restaurants, Lamont Street Grill caters to a variety of budgets. It is possible to spend a fair amount of money here if one goes the multicourse route, but this sort of behavior does not seem expected (as it is at some restaurants), and the guest who wishes to dine relatively inexpensively should find it quite easy. The fact that the menu offers a quality house wine at $6.50 a bottle helps.

LAMONT STREET GRILL.

4445 Lamont St., San Diego. 270-3060. Dinner served from 5 to 10 p.m. weekdays, and until 11 p.m. weekends. Credit cards accepted.

Dinner for two, with a bottle of wine, tax and tip, $35 to $55.