San Diego Spotlight : Dobson Restaurant Gets New Name, Lighter Fare

Not a single scholar has made the slightest effort to prove the existence of Isosceles, a conjectural figure from antiquity who, if myth is to be given any credence, worked as both mathematician and cook in Sicily when the island was still a Greek colony.

This ancient chef’s reputation as a mathematician may (or may not) have arisen from his habit of counting beans. What is generally thought to be possible is that he invented the omelet, a project that inspired him to devise the saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, fry, fry again.”

So it would be nice to think that Triangles, a half-new restaurant in the Golden Triangle, was named in honor of Isosceles. It’s certainly true that in the case of this venture, restaurateur Paul Dobson has put only half of his eggs in one basket.

But then, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Triangles replaces St. James Bar, a truly likable establishment that Dobson modeled after his Dobson’s Bar & Grill in downtown San Diego. For whatever reasons, however, St. James failed to catch on sufficiently, and Triangles is an effort to make the location’s bottom line more geometrically correct. This may well happen, since the new approach is attractive and the cooking is excellent.

The chief factor in the new equation is Harris Golden, who served for 18 years as executive chef and food director at Elizabeth Arden’s Maine Chance health resort in Phoenix. Golden’s specialty is spa cuisine, and Triangles’ menu balances about fifty-fifty between the carefree haute cuisine that characterized St. James and the low-calorie, low-fat cooking for which Golden is justly known. Golden supervises food preparation, but Jeff Hurlbut serves as executive chef.

Quite by design, the traditional and new, lighter-style dishes are mingled on the menu, and in most cases, it is necessary to consult the waiter to learn which are which. Golden said he did this so as to not stigmatize either cuisine, which he said would occur were he to segregate the menu into high-cal and low-cal segments.

But the low-cal stuff constitutes the new options, and it is these dishes that were sampled on a recent visit.

Among the appetizers, there are several clever options, especially the vegetable-almond spring roll with sharp-sweet sauce (baked rather than fried to eliminate the oil), and the chubby shrimp arranged over roasted leeks. Served loosely in the style of a cassoulet (the French dish of lavishly garnished baked beans), the shrimp are arranged in ceramic boats and finished with a reasonably hot, Louisiana-style sauce. Other openers in the light category include potato knishes wrapped in phyllo dough rather than rich butter pastry, and satay-style skewers of lamb or chicken, both served with a light curry sauce.

The soup list continues to include Dobson’s signature dish, the creamy mussel bisque baked under a dome of puff pastry. This is a far cry from light cooking, but since Triangles’ aim is to serve a variety of tastes, it fits. There is also a gazpacho (light by nature) and a soup of the day, recently a puree of fresh peas that was delicious and tasted--why does this seem surprising?--exactly like freshly picked peas. Mint, an old friend of the humble garden pea, brought a fine flavor to the brew.

Salads naturally play an expanded role, and range from Caesar (which Golden has lightened, if not exactly improved) to Jamaican spiced chicken with greens and a chutney dressing, and the “Light & Lively,” a spa-style bowl of fruit and nonfat yogurt dressed up with a cinnamon-raisin roll and apple-flavored honey.

The name of one salad virtually guarantees that the more-rugged of diners who want it will point to the menu rather than say “Cinderella salad with magic wands” out loud. This vegetarian melange includes greens, veggies, nuts, wheat berries, raisins and other elements, served with what the menu terms “a special bread stick.” This, no doubt, would be the magic wand.

The entree list continues to offer such rich things as veal sweetbreads with truffle sauce and beef tournedos with red wine sauce and goat cheese, but there are three Golden specials, and all are excellent. All three also taste more rich and more like un-self-conscious cuisine than might be expected.

The roasted duck in saffron broth with ginger, cinnamon and cilantro is utterly fat-less and beautifully flavored; the hints of spice bring up the flavor quite wonderfully. The boned, rolled chicken breast stuffed with vegetables and Port Salut and ricotta cheeses has all the faults of such chicken dishes--they all seem a little too mannered and fussy--but is moist, well-flavored and happy in a mild sun-dried tomato sauce. And it comes as quite a surprise that pork tenderloin with barbecue sauce could conceivably fall into the category of spa cuisine, but it does here, since the market now offers very lean pork. This is a succulent preparation.

The garnishes of these and all other entrees are strictly, perhaps a little too strictly, from the Golden school, and include good mixed vegetables and a choice of roasted red potatoes, spiced sweet potatoes or seasoned brown rice. If you think this starch selection sounds somewhat dull, you’re right.

One Golden menu addition that is recognizably light and a real winner is the section of pastas and rice dishes, all done with considerable panache. The spa-style cannelloni leggeri consist of wheat crepes, filled with ricotta, spinach and pine nuts and sauced with both light tomato and white sauces. The basic rice plate combines wild and brown rice, both of which bite nicely between the teeth, and seasons them memorably with ginger, garlic, jalapenos, soy sauce and other flavorings. The vegetarian version is good, but for a dollar or two more Triangles will garnish this Asian-themed specialty with stir-fried cubes of chicken or beef filet.

The Golden Rule allows desserts, both rich (triangles of ice cream-stuffed puff pastry with a Kahlua-chocolate sauce) and spa-style, as in the fresh fruit melange with lemon sorbet. One dish deliciously combines both themes by arranging plump strawberries with a warm, citrus-flavored honey dip and luscious, buttery hazelnut cookies.

Triangles has added breakfast to the daily bill of fare, and, as at lunch and dinner, the menu ranges from fat to lean. The decor has been changed somewhat but remains handsome, and the service continues to be among the best in the city.

* TRIANGLES. 4370 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego. 453-6650. Breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday. Entrees $8.50 to $23. Dinner for two, including a glass of wine each, tax and tip, about $30 to $65. Credit cards accepted.