RESTAURANTS / Max Jacobson : Ambiance Is Warm but the Food Needs Some Help

Four years ago Tom Harrison and Maribeth Seaton opened a restaurant called Black Sheep Bistro in a Tustin mini-mall. The name was chosen partly in jest. “We were the last ones in our families to decide what to do with our lives,” she said. “The black sheeps.”

Times have changed. They have put together a charming restaurant with two dining rooms, separately designated for smokers and nonsmokers, that are simple and tasteful. Small bric-a-brac and carefully chosen posters grace the pink brick walls. Tables are draped in pink linen.

Maribeth constantly stops to check on her guests, making sure things are running smoothly, talking warmly on a variety of topics. Tom comes out of the kitchen every so often to ask how everything is; when he has time, he sits down with his guests to raise a glass of wine in their honor.

Four of us visited on a busy Wednesday evening. We were greeted warmly at the door, and it was only a matter of seconds before we were seated at our quiet table.

There are only four appetizers on the menu and we tried them all. Appetizer one, smoked fish of the day, was albacore. The fish came in three slices--slabs, really--on a bare plate without so much as one lonely garnish. And it was as hard as a rock. Now, I like dried foods--beef jerky is one of my favorite snacks--but this was ridiculous.

This was the first reminder that there can be a difference between a charming restaurant and a good restaurant.

Appetizer two, pate chasseur , a slab of pork-based pate, was a small improvement. Unfortunately, it was served so cold that we had to wait until it came to room temperature before we could taste it. A garnish of packaged whole-wheat crackers added to its charm.

Appetizer three was Scotch egg, a British pub favorite. This was a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, rolled in savory bread crumbs and deep fried. It was good, if a little out of place in these surroundings. Escargots a la Bourguignonne were familiar right down to the garlicky green butter and reusable shells.

Entrees at Black Sheep Bistro include a choice of soup or salad. Cream of mushroom soup, made with fresh mushrooms, was tasty. Tossed green salad was the usual garden variety, topped with a sweetish dressing.

But with the entrees came a curiosity in the guise of the daily special, called Paella Valenciana Tom’s Way.

Paella is a rice dish; when you order it you have a right to expect some rice. There was a bit of rice in that thick tomato stew but not much. And despite the good pieces of sausage, shrimp and clams that had gone into the preparation of the dish, the stock just wasn’t very tasty.

Some dishes held up a lot better. Fresh pastas, such as penne all’Arrabbiata with sweet sausage and cheese tortellini, were both fine. Our broiled whitefish, although slightly overcooked, tasted fresh.

But there were other problems. An aged New York steak, in a bland sauce of Madeira, mushrooms and green peppercorns, was ordered medium rare. It arrived gray through and through. I didn’t ask Maribeth to take it back (I’m certain she would have), but after dinner I mentioned the steak to her. She admitted some customers had a problem with it. “We age the steak ourselves,” she said, “and it is hard to make it look medium rare.” Oh.

Lamb chops also came out overcooked. It was easy to see why. The chef had sauteed the meat with fresh garlic, herbes de Provence and rosemary, but he appears to have let them sit in the cooking liquid for too long. Whatever crispness the meat acquired in browning was lost.

At least I can say that desserts are good. Flaky apple strudel was as homey as the ambiance. Chocolate mousse, the chef’s specialty, worked well with Nestle’s chocolate bits. Coupe Marianne--French vanilla ice cream with blueberry sauce, rum, honey, Cognac and blackberry liqueur--was delightful.

I can see why people come back here again and again: The Harrisons are the kind of people you would like to have as your friends. I would enjoy sharing a meal with them--as long as Harrison wasn’t the one who cooked the dinner.

Black Sheep Bistro is moderately priced. Appetizers are $2.95 to $5.95. Entrees, which include a choice of either soup or salad, are $11.95 to $16.95. Desserts are $3.25 to $3.95.

BLACK SHEEP BISTRO

303 El Camino Real, Tustin

(714) 544-6060

Open for lunch Tuesday-Friday; dinner Wednesday-Saturday

All major credit cards accepted