RESTAURANTS : Tootsie’s a Bit Pricey for What It Delivers, Except for Desserts

The extroverted decor at Tootsie’s Sidewalk Cafe in Newport Beach--a blend of California-modern, Roman-classical, and Miami Beach-outrageous-- is a bit, well, fancy for a sandwich place. But this is more than just a sandwich shop.

Matching the daring of Tootsie’s exaggerated decor--art-filled pink brick walls like the color of a suite at the Fontainbleau, a ceiling given illusory support by gaudy, superfluous columns that look as if they had been spirited away from the set of Bob Guccione’s “Caligula”--is Tootsie herself, who makes wonderfully original desserts.

Her Key lime pie may be among the few authentic ones in the state. Instead of the usual Persian lime juice most make the pie from, Tootsie has Key lime juice flown in from Florida. (The original Tootsie’s is in Bal Harbour, Fla.)

Naturally, demand exceeds supply, and Tootsie’s runs out often, but there are plenty of other desserts just as irresistible. Huge, flaky apple dumplings, big enough to serve three people, are served warm with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. A wonderful chocolate pecan pie has a dense chocolate sauce folded into the cornstarch mixture, making one of the most unforgivingly rich concoctions I have ever encountered. And as if thumbing her nose at the spa set, Tootsie tops an already outrageous cheesecake with an ultra-caloric turtle-nut topping.

Yet much of the food Tootsie’s serves is surprisingly low-cal. Take the appetizers. There are Tootsie’s 25-calorie freezes: a Mason jar filled with either strawberry- or Sanka-flavored ice that you sip, slowly , through a straw. (Strawberry is the better choice, incidentally.)

And there is the best appetizer of all, called harlequin tortellini --little stuffed pasta doughnuts in a trinity of sauces: a tomato coulis , a mornay and a pale green basil. It is very light in flavor and texture, and not at all filling. A calorie-packed exception: breaded chicken fingers, lightly battered and served with good, homemade bleu cheese and honey mustard dipping sauces.

So why eat a diet-conscious entree--say, a Tootsie’s 125-calorie omelet (whisked egg white with mushrooms, scallions and green pepper) that pays homage to the famous Golden Door spa, or a quite authentic Salad Nicoise--only to follow it with an 800-calorie dessert? Clearly, Tootsie’s menu has one eye on the scale and the other on the sugar bowl, an inconsistency that some may find difficult to understand. But I understand. Some people eat these entrees precisely so they can have an 800-calorie dessert.

Unfortunately, with the exceptions of the dishes mentioned above, much of the non-dessert menu is a bit disappointing. Chunky gazpacho, while low in calories, is somewhat flavorless. Broiled garlic-herb chicken sounds wonderful, but tastes ordinary. Steamed vegetables, carrots, broccoli and zucchini, may be less than 150 calories, but the taste scale is equally low. Spaghetti Bolognese advertises meat sauce, but there wasn’t a scrap of meat in the one I ate, and it is overpriced as well. The grilled Reuben sandwich I tried was also below average--the rye bread was good, but the meat was fatty and tough. Only a mound of well-cooked curlicue fries made the sandwich taste better.

There is an espresso machine for those long, languid afternoons, and the coffee is excellent. Watch out for cappuccino though. Even if you have only ordered a 25-calorie freeze and a 125-calorie omelet and no dessert , they top it with a blob of whipped cream. If you are really watching your weight, ask them not to.

Tootsie’s is a bit too expensive for what it serves, except for desserts. Appetizers are $3.25 to $7.95. Soups are $3.50 to $4.25. Sandwiches are $5.25 to $8.95 and come with a choice of Caesar or tossed salad. Main dishes are $8.95 to $14.95. Desserts are $2.95 to $6.75.

*TOOTSIE’S SIDEWALK CAFE

Fashion Island, 327 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach

(714) 759-9000

Open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

American Express, MasterCard, Visa accepted