Wherefore Art Thou Romeo Cucina? The Locals Know

Romeo Cucina has been open for the better part of two years at a highly visible location in downtown Laguna Beach, and a highly visible local critic (ahem) has obviously missed the boat up to now. Not that the locals are complaining that I’ve overlooked it. This place is a tough enough table as it is, with walk-in customers facing waits of up to an hour at peak times.

OK--I’m sorry, I should have gotten here sooner. And if this review makes the place more crowded, I’m sorry about that too.

From the outside, the restaurant is a glassed-in, salmon-pink palazzo, overflowing with an elegantly dressed, hipper-than-hip crowd. A lustrous terra cotta floor provides a starkly contrasting background for the white tablecloths, green salads and red wines found on virtually every table. Corked bottles of pale green olive oil and ink-stained jugs of balsamic vinegar keep them good company.

There’s lots more atmosphere, of course. Straw baskets and farmhouse-style chairs of simple blond wood are probably intended to communicate unpretentiousness, but the abundance of more polished appointments leaves no doubt that this is a sophisticated, high-octane operation. A brick facade off to one side showcases a stunning art collection. Various designer lanterns and Diva lights (those alien-looking contraptions that hang from the ceiling like Groucho’s secret microphone) throw a soft yellow glare onto the proceedings, a scene invariably noisy and pulsating with energy.

The scene here is a big part of the experience, as seductive as the scents of hot bread and roasted game always permeating this room. Station yourself at the crowded bar, and you find yourself clinging to a glass of Barbera or Italian mineral water, pressing up against literati, artists and alternative-lifestyle types. Sit on stools by the tiled pizza oven or outside on the tiny patio facing Laguna Canyon, and chances are you’ll make friends with a tourist.

Should you come when the restaurant is full (an inescapable reality most of the time), you’ll probably be tempted to head for the pizza bar yourself. The Romeos are four brothers from Calabria, the province which constitutes the “boot” of southern Italy, but it is their impressive list of pizzas which best demonstrates their allegiance to a united Italy.

For instance, the wonderful pizza ai funghi selvaggi comes from the north. It has a thin, yeasty crust that turns bubbly around the edges, like all the pizzas here, and it’s covered with a flurry of exotic mushrooms-- chanterelles, porcini and shiitake, all laced with Fontina cheese and a fresh sprinkling of thyme.

By contrast, pizza ai pomodori secchi has a distinctly southern appeal.

It’s more intense, with the salty, penetrating flavor of the tomatoes softened by mild ricotta cheese, roasted red peppers and baked, gently caramelized cloves of garlic. The cheese adds richness; the peppers and garlic contribute natural sweetness.

Your table is probably ready by now, and the chance to eat more good appetizers. I would have sworn that scottata di tonno was Japanese, were it not for the Italian name and the balsamic vinaigrette hovering over the mesclun -like garnish. You may know it as lightly grilled slices of tuna, red in the center, pink around the edges, with a charred, peppery outside crust. I know it as the perfect hors d’oeuvre.

Then there is ortolina, a mixture of good grilled vegetables with distinctly Italian accents: radicchio, endive, porcini, fennel, zucchini and a rainbow of roasted peppers. The vegetables have been sliced razor-thin and taste uncommonly fresh. Sprinkle them with some of that green olive oil, and you’ve got a light, summery starter. Eat them on ciabatta, a crackling-white country loaf brought to your table along with crocks of salty olive paste, and the dish becomes almost substantial.

Pastas, risottos and secondi piatti (meat entrees) should keep you occupied after that. Romeo’s pastas show a definite bias toward the south, so you will do well to keep that in mind when you order. Giallorossi, a northern specialty, is described as red and white flat noodles with shrimp and scallops in a saffron cream sauce. Instead, you get thin white noodles in a bland sauce that obscures the seafood.

Instead, try tagliatelle alle carne rustiche. It’s egg noodles topped with a ragu of ground lamb and beef, which sounds northern but isn’t. The whole thing is ladled up with a zesty tomato sauce, as it would be in a Neapolitan cafe.

The ravioli caponati have a savory vegetable filling similar to caponata, a dip made from stewed vegetables. This one is composed of eggplant, celery, pine nut, tomato and basil. It’s chewy and provocative, one of the most interesting pastas I know of.

If you’re hungry enough for piatti secondi, I recommend ordering some risotto di Campagna on the side. This is simply Romeo’s best dish: Arborio rice with porcini mushrooms, asparagus, Gorgonzola cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. And I think it’s best ordered as a side--it’s too rich and powerful for a main course. Two or three spoonfuls go a long way, and its range of flavors and textures are astounding.

That leaves room for some of the peasant-style entrees the kitchen executes with brio. Polletto is a crisp-skinned whole game hen, marinated and grilled flat and served with garlicky spinach and terrific rosemary potatoes. Arrosto misto, a platter of tender spit-roasted meats, includes lamb chops, a coil of rope-thin sausage, two baby back ribs and skewered beef.

Romeo’s osso buco is a soft, sweet braised veal shank in an aromatic tomato sauce--the southern style again. One of the treats of this dish is scooping the luscious marrow from the bones, and there must have been two tablespoons of marrow in ours.

Desserts run to a soft, rum soaked tirami su, crumbly tarts with things like lemon curd and ricotta cheese in the center, and fresh fruit. The local hipsters wouldn’t be caught dead finishing the meal with anything but grappa or espresso, but I’d better not include myself in that group. It took me two years just getting here, remember.

Romeo Cucina is moderately priced. Appetizers and salads are $3.95 to $7.50. Pizzas are $7.95 to $8.95. Pastas are $7.95 to $9.50. Secondi are $11.95 to $14.95.

* ROMEO CUCINA

* 249 Broadway, Laguna Beach.

* (714) 497-6627.

* Open for lunch Tuesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For dinner Monday through Friday, 5:30 to 9:45 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 5 to 10 p.m. (closing times are approximate, depending on business).

* All major cards accepted.