San Diego Spotlight : La Jolla’s 5 W’s Serves Up Texas Taste, Texas Portions

5 W’s?

Wee Willie Winkie would wonder (here are five W’s) who willfully would wish worry (five more, thank you) upon himself by christening a restaurant with a name that not only is exceptionally forgettable, but is none too easy to locate in the telephone directory.

The name of this new La Jolla restaurant, chosen by Muscovites-turned-Texas barbecue specialists Walter and Gula Yahnovich, in fact honors five-sixths of the journalist’s creed, “Who, what, where, when, why and how,” and pays specific tribute to the media, which has given favorable notice over the years to the culinary efforts of these Russian emigres.

About 10 years ago, la famiglia Yahnovich renounced the state of the Red Star in favor of the Lone Star State, settling for a time in Dallas and mastering Texas-style barbecue, a style-within-a-style that specifies meats slowly smoked over an extended time. There is perhaps a certain purity to the result that will be widely appreciated in some circles, if not by advocates of Kansas City and Tennessee-style barbecued meats, who believe that frequent bastings with sweet-pungent-sharp sauce are essential to the outcome.

Those who question whether the American melting pot continues to bubble should be convinced that it does by the proceedings at 5 W’s. Cross-culturalism surfaces at times--as in the case of the sour cream served with the savory smoked meat soup--and long may it wave. The Yahnoviches, who for some years operated the popular Texas Smokehouse on Miramar Road, have returned to the restaurant business at the site of the defunct Fisherman’s Grill in downtown La Jolla. This location, in a courtyard one flight below street level, is not the best, but the equation of acceptable quality and remarkable quantity versus reasonable price may multiply into a reliable clientele. Unchanged from the previous regime, the informal decor of light woods and greenery suits the establishment.

The portions indicate that Walter and Goula have responded to the scarcity along the Volga by opting for the abundance characterized by Rio Grande hospitality. The meals are not simply huge, but Gargantuan, and include a dinner-launching basket of onion rings, followed by soup, salad, an immense amount of meat accompanied by thick hunks of toast, two heaped side dishes (this figure is technical, since more may appear, seemingly of their own volition) and a complimentary conclusion of sherbet or brandy.

The sole digression from the avalanche of barbecued foods is a plate of lox and bagels, which the eye notes briefly while scanning the list of barbecued beef, pork, ham, regular sausage and hot links, pork spare ribs, veal ribs (most unusual), large, kosher-style beef ribs, turkey, Cornish hen, prime rib, chicken, catfish and trout. Most items are available either as platters or sandwiches; joining the latter are hamburgers, which, in the lavish style of the place, weigh in at a full half-pound.

The universal process of cooking in sweet wood smoke proceeds for different lengths of time, from about 10 hours for the half-chicken to 48 hours for the prime rib. The results, in appearance, can be remarkably handsome--the chicken, burnished, taut-skinned and cracklingly bronzed, resembles Peking duck--but also can be a bit on the dry side. The flavor is unquestionably full, and redolent of the fumes of glowing wood embers. And, if a deeply smokey taste appeals to you, so should the offerings at 5 W’s.

Catfish inspires a minimum of indifference in the great majority of diners, since most either delight in or despise this bottom-dwelling swimmer. The 5 W’s at least makes the beast appear noble; served head-on, with the tail spilling over the end of the platter, the fish is large enough to serve two or more and is meaty and sweet-tasting.

Among meats, the pork, beef and veal ribs seem fairly equal in quality; all are reasonably meaty, and the quantity, of course, should be beyond the efforts of the average guest. The sliced beef and pork on the whole seem a bit more succulent and obviate the necessity of dining with the fingers. Best of the lot are the slices of hot link sausage, which burst with juice and flavor. The house barbecue sauce, served on the side and heated, if none too spicy, adds interest to virtually every meat but is not absolutely required.

The galaxy of other side dishes almost makes the main event seem something of a sideshow. The onion rings, served with a mild salsa for dipping, are strictly of the “OK” school and, through the salsa, indicate the Texas influence. The smoked meat soup, composed of shreds and hunks of leftovers simmered in strong broth, is flecked with fresh cilantro (Texas again) and quite delicious. In the style of borscht and other Russian soups, a little sour cream appears on the side for leavening; the flavor shines with or without the cream enrichment. The Caesar salad, perfunctory and amateurish, is eclipsed by the alternative lettuce-and-tomato salad, again decorated with sprigs of cilantro. Side dishes include decent cowpoke beans flavored with a bit of chili powder; very creamy potato and macaroni salads, both done in the church picnic style, with a little pickle relish stirred in for extra zest. Plates technically include two heaping side orders, but the kitchen may send more.

Anyone who really wants dessert (and the desire, after all this food, would have to be fierce) can order catered pecan pie. Otherwise, dinners include the choice between commercial fruit sherbet or a small glass of brandy or liqueur, a gesture unusual in these parts.

Soft drinks or beer probably would seem the likely beverages with this kind of menu, but 5 W’s does offer a wine list of more than sufficient scope. The service follows the general informality of the place and is friendly, cheerful and notably efficient.

5 W’s 7825 Fay Ave., La Jolla 456-5757 Lunch and dinner daily Entrees $8.95 to $12.95. Dinner for two, including a glass of wine each, tax and tip, about $30 to $45.

Credit cards accepted