Year-Old Richard’s Restaurant Rises Above ‘Self-Satisfaction Syndrome’

It may be time to give a name to a curious problem that seems to afflict a disproportionate number of new San Diego County restaurants.

“Self-Satisfaction Syndrome” may be a good moniker for this problem, although laziness, a sturdy and old fashioned word of impeccable lineage, may do just as well. In any case, it seems that too many restaurants open with a level of food and service that quickly attracts full houses, and then start slipping and sliding into the pit of mediocrity before they are even six months old.

Perhaps the full houses lull these places into believing that they can do no wrong, but whatever the reason may be, it certainly is true that a surprising number of them just seem to stop trying after the first few months. Food that was beautifully prepared and presented becomes careless and sloppy, service turns inattentive, and, often, the premises suffer an immediate decline in terms of neatness and cleanliness. Restaurants that fall into this unhappy category will not be named here, but the group includes several of the flashy eateries that have opened downtown in the last year.

Given this unfortunate and pervasive problem, it is nice to be able to report that Richard’s, an engaging bistro that opened to kudos just a little more than a year ago, has improved with age. This Morena Boulevard-area place opened on the right foot with handsome premises and a carefully drawn menu that emphasized contemporary cuisine, and a recent visit confirmed that it has kept virtuously to the same path on which it first set out.

The menu, printed daily, seems to exhibit a more individualistic personality these days, presumably because chef-proprietor Richard Savitch has gained confidence in the culinary direction in which he wishes to take his restaurant. In the early days, Savitch seemed somewhat entranced by the newfangled Cajun cooking, and he also frequently succumbed to the blandishments of California cuisine. (He still does, but less rarely; a recent menu included just one dish that sounded rather outre, a veal tenderloin served with a sauce of fresh raspberries and blush wine.) But his cooking then was good, and that quality has remained constant while his repertoire of dishes has expanded and improved.

Richard’s always serves a little complimentary mouthful to be consumed while the guests peruse the menu, a gracious gesture that recently took the form of a rich, crumbly duck pate dressed with a spoonful of dilled creme fraiche . The basic goodness of this lagniappe, along with the obvious presence of duck in the kitchen, helped one guest through the difficulty of choosing an appetizer from among the half-dozen innovative offerings.

This appetizer contained not duck per se, but duck glaze, or stock slowly reduced to a rich, powerfully flavored essence. After butter had been swirled into this, a generous spoonful was dribbled over a hot, magnificently crusted veal sweetbread in order to create a rare and elusive marriage of flavors. Sweetbreads, notable more for their exquisite texture than any depth of flavor, make a perfect repository for strong sauces, and this combination was notable for its cleverness and verve.

It was difficult to choose among the appetizers, however, because most looked quite appealing. The waiter made a strong case for the ravioli filled with sweetbreads and shiitake mushrooms, but these were bypassed in favor of the above-mentioned dish. The grilled lamb salad with an herb-and-olive dressing also sounded good, as did the steamed mussels in a saffron-tinted cream sauce; the baked oysters finished with salsa fresca, avocado and creme fraiche sounded rather affected and self-consciously local. They probably would have been better than the red bell pepper fettuccine with herb-garlic cream sauce, however, which turned out to be the evening’s only disappointment. A pretty, pumpkin color, the pasta tasted bland and had been dressed so sparingly that it was gooey rather than moist; it seemed as if the sauce had been added with an eye-dropper.

But this turned out to be a small enough disappointment, especially by the time the entrees had been dispatched. Chosen from a good list that included sauteed halibut with pecans basted in butter, swordfish in a chive beurre blanc, and broiled chicken breast with creamy goat cheese in a Marsala sauce, both entrees were imaginative, and were prepared with considerable technical skill.

A definite Oriental character pervaded the broiled pork tenderloin, which reposed in a bath of soy and mustard before being cooked, and then was served with a sauce of ginger and sesame oil enriched with brown stock and other good things. Here, Savitch took California cooking in a new direction, by acknowledging the state’s role as a melting pot that has incorporated significant Japanese and Chinese influences. Nonetheless, the technique of the dish was entirely French, while the beautiful garnish was purely contemporary Southern California--tiny vegetables rested in colorful, tender, carefully arranged ranks.

Another borrowing from the Orient, prawns finished with curry sauce, were similarly localized, in this case by broiling the prawns and serving them with a separately prepared--and rather stingily apportioned--sauce. The flavor was exceptional, however, and the device that brought the dish together was a spoonful of peach-papaya chutney seasoned by a chef who believed, correctly, that the more cayenne, the better.

Meals include the choice of soup or salad, and the mixed greens were thoroughly adequate if not especially distinguished. Neither soup was sampled, but the choice included gazpacho and cream of carrot.

Savitch offers several pastries, but by all means try his ice creams. The lime was a revelation, a bowl of creamy pleasure that incorporated the rind as well as the tart juice of this under-valued fruit. The fresh peach ice cream seemed calmer, but then the peach is a quieter, more subdued fruit. It made a delicious dessert.

At present, dinner can be enjoyed in the courtyard, a place filled with the chirping of crickets, the splash of a fountain, a soft evening breeze and a twilight moderated by candlelight.

In nearby Pacific Beach, a neighborhood that enjoys more than its share of seafood houses but lacks interesting Oriental fare, a new Japanese sushi bar and restaurant has opened in small but attractive quarters near the busy intersection of Ingraham Street and Garnet Avenue.

Mister Sushi looks something like a modest Japanese copy of Gustaf Anders, thanks to its stylishly austere gray, black and white color scheme. Sushi fans sit at a well-appointed, polished black granite counter, at which some 30 or 40 varieties of seasoned rice tidbits, topped with raw and cooked fish and other items, are prepared to order.

Sushi no longer can be considered exotic, at least in California, but this restaurant does turn in a respectable performance in this department. The level of quality and freshness of the ingredients seems quite high, and the cooks seem innovative at times. For example, the California roll (a popular concoction based on local ingredients, such as avocado) is prepared inside-out, the stuffing and seaweed wrapper surrounded by a quilt of mildly sweetened rice. Relatively few choices were sampled, but all were competently made and tasty.

The luncheon menu runs to some length and offers several bargains, including a special that teams a large serving of sizzling, well-flavored chicken teriyaki with an equally large serving of California roll. Among other choices are steak or salmon teriyaki, various tempuras (meat, seafood, vegetables dipped in batter and fried), and katsu donburi, a pork cutlet with vegetables and eggs, cooked in a sharp sauce and served over rice.

RICHARD’S

4015 Avati Drive, San Diego (in the Bay Ho Center)

270-8661

Dinner served 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, until 10 p.m. weekends.

Credit cards accepted.

Dinner for two, with a moderate bottle of wine, tax and tip, $50 to $80.

MISTER SUSHI

1535 Garnet Ave., San Diego

581-2664

Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 5-10 p.m. daily, except Mondays

Inexpensive