Scalini Joins Wave of New Restaurants Along North Coast

The restaurant scene along the North County coast is on the verge of becoming exciting.

Years have passed since the area suffered from a dearth of eateries, but, for the most part, the plethora of places has been fairly uninteresting gastronomically. In general terms, the steak-and-lobster combination always seemed to be the ultimate expression of coastal cuisine.

This state of affairs has changed gradually, but the rate of change seems to be accelerating greatly of late. The presumption would be that restaurateurs are responding to the immense growth of the area and to the ever-more-evident affluence of so many of its residents. Encinitas alone, for example, has seen a couple of major openings in the past 12 months, and more reportedly are on the way.

An Italian restaurant called Scalini opened recently midway between Del Mar and Rancho Santa Fe. A handsome, stylish place, it seems remarkably in tune with its surroundings. The place was jammed on a recent Friday.

Scalini’s menu follows the new format, fashionable especially among ambitious Italian restaurants, that allows guests considerable leeway in their expenditures. (The classic restaurant menu, at least in eateries of any pretention, has always attempted to steer customers to a carefully engineered “average check.”) Thus at Scalini, it is possible for a couple to order a plate of pasta and a glass of wine apiece and spend no more than $30, a figure that includes tax and tip. Furthermore, one can do this without incurring any feelings of guilt.

Of course, it is equally possible to indulge in appetizer, entree, dessert and a bottle of wine and spend much, much more, and the management will not utter a peep of protest when you do. Nor, if you steer carefully through the menu, is the experience likely to be unpleasant.

Scalini’s great strength seems to be in the entree department. The list is not wildly imaginative, but the choice is sufficient and the preparation level generally is high.

An especially pleasing dish was the vitello Scalini, or sauteed veal medallions topped with prosciutto ham, Fontina cheese and eggplant. The ham and cheese accents were familiar but nonetheless appealing, and the baby eggplant (most kitchens use slices of large, mature vegetables) was elegant and good. What gave the dish its special quality, however, was the incredible tenderness and flavor of the veal, which had been sauteed ever so gently and was one of those rare specimens that honestly could be said to have melted in the mouth.

On a second visit, the kitchen offered a pair of specials that sounded better than anything on the standing list. The first, an osso buco, was a fine rendering of the classic Milanese dish of veal shank braised in wine, tomato and herbs. The portion included plenty of meat (which often is not the case with restaurant osso buco ), cooked to a toothsome tenderness and bathed in a fine, suave sauce.

The waiter, however, had announced the dish as a special variety, an osso buco ai funghi , which meant that the garnish should include a noticeable amount of mushrooms. Such was not the case; only a few slices were present to lend their delicate savor to the dish. (This was not the only instance in which an advertised ingredient failed to make much of a showing.)

The other special, sauteed scallops finished with a sauce of grain mustard and cream, suggested that an adventurous spirit lurks in the kitchen. To combine strong mustard with such a delicately flavored seafood as scallops is a daring idea indeed. These elements joined happily, though, with the cream serving as a kind of arbitrator between the two.

Among standing entree choices are a veal chop, seasoned with rosemary; a grilled baby chicken, seasoned with mixed herbs; grilled salmon in dill sauce; steak pizzaiola, or sauteed medallions in a savory sauce of tomato, olives, garlic, capers and herbs; duck breast in pear and raspberry sauce, advertised as a house creation, and a vegetarian mixed grill.

A daily special brings the choice of pastas to an even dozen; as is common everywhere, these can be shared as a first course. The list includes the currently popular penne all’arrabiata, or pasta tubes finished with tomato, garlic and hot red peppers--it can be an intriguing dish. The penne alla contadina (“country-woman style”) tossed the pasta with artichoke hearts, peas, julienned bell peppers, cream and tomato sauce, and it was good, although the menu also specified Italian sausage in the mix. There were three minuscule pieces (I counted carefully), and because the dish was made to order, one has to wonder why the kitchen was so parsimonious with this ingredient. A rigatoni quattro formaggi found the pasta tubes reposing in a pleasingly creamy blend of Gorgonzola, Fontina, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

As an alternative to pasta (both in the appetizer and entree senses), Scalini offers several artsy pizzas and a calzone stuffed with mozzarella, prosciutto, ricotta and mushrooms. The dressiest pizza includes sun-dried tomatoes; the most traditional, the Margherita, is topped with tomato, mozzarella, basil and oregano.

The appetizer of choice should be the plate of antipasti gathered from the handsome buffet, but on both visits, the selection of cold tidbits failed to arouse much enthusiasm (the antipasto table at Portofino in Encinitas is a masterwork, at least in local terms).

At the other end of the meal, in the dessert category, the kitchen redeems itself. Orange zest gives an energetic flavor and strong perfume to a ricotta cheese torte, and flaky pastry horns filled with sweetened mascarpone cheese are light and delicate.

The wine list seems to have been assembled with some thought, and the selection of Italian wines is especially impressive.

The dining room staff also seems to have been thoughtfully assembled; on both visits, the service was conducted with remarkable smoothness and efficiency.

SCALINI

3790 Via de la Valle, Del Mar

259-9944

Dinner served nightly.

Credit cards accepted.

Dinner for two, including a glass of wine each, tax and tip, $30 to $70.