RESTAURANTS / Max Jacobson : Don’t Look for the Logic--or the Truffles--Just Try the Skirt Steak

Golden Truffle is an eccentric restaurant with an eclectic menu that defies rhythm or logic. It refers to itself as “contemporary Continental with Jamaican influences,” and it shatters any illusions one might harbor about Perigord, foie gras , or two-star roadhouses popping up along Newport Beach auto routes: Truffles are nowhere in sight, and the restaurant faces a tire store on Newport Boulevard.

Don’t exhaust yourself searching for Jamaican influences, either. The only discernible trace of the island is the presence of Red Stripe Lager, a light brew from Jamaica that goes nicely with the restaurant’s assorted Caesar salads.

I say assorted because while there is only one Caesar listed on the menu, I can’t tell you which Caesar to expect. On my first visit I had a very good Caesar: a mound of chopped romaine with heaps of raw Maui onion rings and a grainy dressing fashioned from lots of Parmesan and flat, fresh Portuguese anchovies mashed in lemon juice. But when I ordered it again the following evening, the recipe had been changed completely. This time there was a lighter, vinegar-based dressing with no onions but plenty of large, freshly made croutons, spoonfuls of chopped egg and a small fortune in capers on top. I thought it was even better than the first one.

I don’t know how many Caesars there are here but I do know that all of chef Alan Greeley’s food has the appealing, quirky stamp of a man who cooks for the sheer pleasure of it, and most of it tastes terrific. Greeley is a friendly, jovial man who comes out of his kitchen almost constantly to chat with his guests. There are two dining rooms: a bistro area strewn with wine maps and a view of the partially exposed kitchen, and a softly lit, more formal area that looks like a ‘70s living room in an upscale apartment complex. No matter where you sit, it’s a cozy, relaxing place, and the service is doting and comfortable.

Greeley has a few pet ingredients, and he plays with them to good effect. Some of his Maui onions are sliced, battered in beer and turned into Maui onion rings with a spicy, homemade ketchup. Others are cooked up in a small soup crock and topped with cheese, French bistro-style. The onion rings are a far better choice; the soup would be improved by less sugar in the stock. Bay shrimp are another of Greeley’s favored ingredients. Bay shrimp cocktail Yucatan is like a combination gazpacho-ceviche, with the tiny shrimp and chunky pieces of avocado immobilized in a tangy, thick puree of tomato and chili. It makes a superb, light lunch with the French bread that the restaurant serves and a glass of the excellent Babcock Johannesburg Riesling from the restaurant’s delightful list. Mediterranean salad has bay shrimp, hearts of palm and Nicoise olives, and seems like a good second choice among the salads.

Entrees bear little resemblance to any of the first courses; they must just be whatever the chef feels like cooking. The best of them is broiled marinated skirt steak with pinto beans and cactus, a Santa Fe-type dish from the nouvelle Southwest. The cactus is pan-fried, not grilled, and the beans have a stewed, smoky flavor. The meat is tender and slightly charred. There’s nothing else on the menu even remotely resembling it. Grilled swordfish comes with a lemon thyme fettuccine, an interesting, musky pasta that the chef makes himself. On the richer side, there is another house-made pasta, veal tortellini with a five-herb cream sauce, and chicken breast in a thick creamy Dijon mustard sauce that is heavy on the mustard. It’s one of the few things Greeley makes that feels like it belongs in a restaurant like this.

Desserts are more what one would expect from a place called the Golden Truffle. Pear tart is crusty and buttery, but not enhanced by the accompanying fruit sauce served on the side, which looks and tastes like applesauce blended with raspberries and spices. You’ll be told that the five-chocolate terrine has five different kinds of chocolate in it but don’t expect a multilayered wonder--you can only see and taste one. It’s a rich, mousse-like generic, eminently acceptable, but you’ve had it many times before. Instead try the tangerine cake, a moist, nut-studded pastry, and for goodness’ sake, tell them not to put that fruit sauce on top. It makes a good dessert absolutely dreadful.

The Golden Truffle is reasonably priced. Appetizers are $3.50 to $5.75. Salads are $2.95 to $6.80. Entrees are $8.25 to $16.50.

THE GOLDEN TRUFFLE

1767 Newport Blvd., Costa Mesa

(714) 645-9858

Open for lunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Tuesday-Friday; dinner 6 -9:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 6-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. All major cards.