Epazote Is Precision-Tooled for Trendiness

Restaurant rows used to spring up of their own accord, and in accord with the mysteries of their neighborhoods and markets. But, in these times, they are planned as carefully as an ad campaign for soap.

A couple of these rows in the near North County seem likely to rewrite the rules for restaurant dining in this growing area. A four-eatery complex in Aventine, the Golden Triangle’s neo-Roman development, is about to open and will include upscale Italian, Mexican and steak-and-chop houses. ( Upscale is the word of the day, and, short of a serious recession, there seems no going back.) Doubters who question the feasibility of what amounts to a restaurant theme park will probably be converted shortly after opening day.

Meanwhile, the restaurant row at the new, striking and decidedly upscale Del Mar Plaza was recently made complete with the opening of Epazote, the self-styled “Baja bar and grill” that, along with Il Fornaio, Pacifica Del Mar and a sushi house, make the plaza a kind of self-contained dining capital for Del Mar and its environs.

A chic, trendy spinoff of Del Mar’s chic, trendy and outrageously popular Cilantro’s, Epazote seems precision-tooled to appeal to anyone who, whether openly or in the deepest recesses of his soul, yearns to be chic and trendy. It does have great style, thanks to the genius displayed by owners Brad and Wendy Evarts for designing places that are lively, fun and hip but not so volatile as to scare anyone away.

Although Cilantro’s takes its theme from the American Southwest, Epazote, named after a Mexican herb ( epazote is a form of winter savory, which bears some similarity to sorrel) aims at presenting the locally novel theme of the Baja California bar and grill. In terms of decor, it probably succeeds better than any restaurant in Baja at dishing up that idealized tone so many of us seek south of the border. The several dining areas present different moods, especially the noisy walkway under a thatched roof and the sheltered outdoor area, reached by a vaulting bridge.

The menu quite laudably lists real, regional Mexican cooking, as opposed to what generally passes for it in Southern California, and includes such dishes as Yucatan-style seafood stew, chiles en nogada , tamales, spicy roasts and interesting vegetable side dishes. The kitchen does not, however, seem to have the right touch for some of them, and, although a great deal of effort obviously went into researching the menu, it seems that less was expended on researching the recipes.

A full page of the menu is devoted to specialty drinks, a once-common practice that more or less vanished with the decade-old move to white wine and light beers and that, in its revival, may be a harbinger of what will define chicness and trendiness in the ‘90s. There are such interesting-sounding tipples as the Giggling Blue Marlin, which includes orange liqueur, blue Curacao and blue tequila, which certainly is a novelty. The Epazote Margarita is an exemplar of the genre, shaken by hand, poured at the table and composed of premium ingredients leavened by the correct balance of sweet and sour.

The appetizer list runs on and on, probably as a concession to the bar crowd. Most of these snacks double nicely as starters. Crisp, greaseless chips and a pair of salsas arrive automatically and fill the time quite adequately until the first course makes its appearance. The starters include a trio of tamales, including a good chicken-cheese combo and, in season, the very traditional green corn tamale. The queso fundido is garnished not only with chorizo sausage, but with poblano chilies, which spice the melted cheese quite wonderfully, and this, too, is excellent.

Other choices include a highly seasoned, Mexican-style shrimp cocktail; bay scallop ceviche tostadas; puffy sopes and panchos with several fillings; oyster shooters, with or without tequila, and tacos filled with carne asada, shrimp, grilled shark, potatoes, chilies, carnitas and other ingredients.

The menu also offers the classic caldo tlalpeno chicken soup, and the rougher, more robust pozole of hominy with pork and red chili. Unusual vegetable dishes that can be considered snacks or side dishes include a saute of Swiss chard and garlic, a skewer of new potatoes (this would seem to require more than the usual devotion to potatoes) and roasted corn seasoned with chili butter. The Caesar salad, billed as the “Original Alex Caesar Cardini Salad, origin, Tijuana, circa 1926” (which nearly describes the truth of this remarkably popular salad), is tasty but dry; the answer would be a more generous dosage of olive oil.

The more formal entree list mentions a couple of house combinations that team three appetizers with rice and beans, but gets down to more serious business with grilled chicken that has been marinated in citrus juices, garlic and herbs; pescado pibil , or sea bass seasoned with achiote seeds and orange juice and steamed in a wrapping of banana leaves; carne asada, and the roast of the day, which recently was duck finished with a spicy pumpkin seed mole sauce.

The chiles en nogada , a wonderfully bizarre concoction of meat-stuffed chilies blanketed with a creamy walnut sauce, can be superb, especially when chopped candied fruits are thrown into the mix. Epazote offered a rather uncertain version in which the chilies were stuffed with a dense and somewhat greasy pork stew, and the sauce was dull and heavy rather than subtle and light. A sprinkling of crimson pomegranate seeds added color, but anyone who has had this dish garnished with red and green candied cherries would find the seeds an unsatisfactory substitute.

The filet al chipotle, or grilled tenderloin steak draped with Manchego cheese and a heady sauce, was rather more satisfactory, although the unusually soft meat hinted at the use of meat tenderizer. A serving of pork loin garnished with avocado, tomatillos, tomatoes and Oaxaca cheese did succeed quite well in blending mild and strong flavors with tender, succulent meat. The grilled shrimp drizzled with pipian , a blazingly hot mole sauce based partly on pumpkin seeds, also succeeded, although the puree of ancho chilies upon which they were bedded curiously lacked flavor and seemed rather pointless. Most of these dishes included a garnish of the house green rice, tinted with cilantro, lettuce and (sometimes) epazote , along with well-seasoned black beans.

The kitchen turns out desserts that sometimes sound like sweet flights of fantasy and are generally substantial enough for two. The cleverest may be the peanut “tostada,” in which a layer of nut brittle forms a base for scoops of vanilla and coffee ice creams.

EPAZOTE

1555 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar

259-9966

Lunch and dinner daily.

Credit cards accepted.

Dinner for two, including a glass of wine each, tax and tip, $30 to $60.