San Diego Spotlight : Pickled Herring and Palm Trees at Hit-and-Miss Saro

A new restaurant named Saro has brought the cuisine of the islands to downtown San Diego.

But the islands in question represent a broader selection than you might suppose.

As it happens, the restaurant is named after Sar, an island off the southern tip of Sweden. But because chef Mats Andersson is an avid sailor who spent a number of years cooking on private yachts in the South Pacific, the island influence also comes from those islands, the kind with palm trees and coconuts and balmy breezes.

The result of this geographical diversity is a menu upon which pickled herring swim alongside the Bora Bora salad--an Andersson creation, and not bad--and Swedish meatballs compete on the entree list with a dish given the breezy name of “keel haul scampi.”

A sailing motif pervades the restaurant in everything from entree titles (the New York sirloin with fried potato wedges is named, rather cloyingly, “Stars and Stripes,” the name of the Dennis Conner entries in the America’s Cup yacht races) to the logo and decor.

The logo abstractly but cleverly combines themes by working a sail into a design dominated by bright blue and yellow, the Swedish national colors. And sail-like triangles of cloth hang against the ceiling to suggest that the restaurant, which has taken over the long-vacant space in the Spreckels Building once occupied by a place called Broadway Circle, is tacking gently against the gusts that occasionally blow in from San Diego Bay.

Otherwise, the decor is Scandinavian modern, which means simple, clean-lined and striking, dominated by light woods and equipped with austere furniture that is far more comfortable than it looks, blue and yellow floral arrangements and very, very fine glassware. The explanation for the presence of the latter, which certainly is vastly better than that used elsewhere in town, is that the restaurant’s proprietor, Sven Erik Eklund, also owns Sweden’s Reijmyre crystal manufacturers.

The menu, which is the same at lunch and dinner, has several high points but frankly seems somewhat bizarre given the split between traditional Swedish dishes, casual contemporary cuisine and what can only be called concoctions. There could also be greater choice, especially among the Swedish specials, which pose meatballs against a number of dishes based more or less upon salmon. In this department, you feel less like you’re sailing than swimming upstream.

The one-page list opens finely and elegantly with a soup called “Bon Voyage” that consists of a creamed, lightly herbed broth, flavored with Pernod (anise liqueur) and enriched with smoked salmon. The effect, intended or otherwise, is of a Scandinavian bouillabaisse, and the flavor is delicious. A couple of “toasts,” or large, lavishly garnished canapes, follow, and both likewise are excellent. The first of these, the “ limpans toast,” tops a thick square of sauteed bread with feta, tomatoes and basil, and, while salty, it seems like nothing so much as a tasty, Swedish attempt at pizza. The second, the “toast skagen ,” supports a hillock of tiny shrimp in dilled mayonnaise, which is very Scandinavian indeed and also very pleasing.

Things continue in a happy mood with the Bora Bora salad, which, despite the South Pacific name, again shows primarily Nordic inspiration; the plate combines a mound of shredded cabbage, dressed with a lively blend of fruit juices, mustard and sour cream, with a garnish of pineapple and cubed, smoked ham. This is satisfying but light, and quite refreshing. Untried salad choices that also could serve as entrees include the marmite , which tops greens with scallops cooked in sweet vermouth, and the “komodo” chicken, which poses a marinated, grilled breast over vegetables and fruit in a sesame vinaigrette.

In all San Diego it would be difficult to locate a dish that matches the Saro burger for sheer novelty or, to put it more bluntly, weirdness. A basic burger, sandwiched in a sesame-studded bun, is handsomely garnished with piles of chopped, crisp bacon, red onion and other condiments, but also topped with bay shrimp in chili sauce. One could, rather distantly, identify this as a variation on surf ‘n’ turf, and, in truth, it’s not bad--but it is strange.

The “galley fried potatoes” that accompany this are nothing more than thick, unpeeled wedges, deep fried but tough and greasy rather than crisp. Regular french fries would be vastly preferable. Other choices from this segment of the menu include grilled tuna with a “South Pacific” salsa, a blue cheese-stuffed filet mignon in port sauce and the low-fat, grilled “slimline” chicken breast.

Meatballs head the Swedish specialties list. There are perhaps hundreds of ways of making Swedish meatballs, and if you like Swedish meatballs at all (at their best they seem like semi-weightless meat dumplings), you might wish that Andersson had chosen a more delicate recipe. Served as they should be with a lightly creamed gravy and tart lingonberries, these really don’t make the grade.

Also in this category, the salmon with morel mushrooms and cream sauce comes off far better; an alternative is salmon with white wine and herbs. The Baltic seafood platter is a natural that combines pickled herring and herring in mustard sauce with a bit of caviar and an OK version of gravad lax , or salmon cured with sugar, white pepper and dill. A bowl of steamed red potatoes accompanies all such entrees.

The desserts take a Nordic cue and include numerous fruit sorbets and fresh ice creams, including one flavored with saffron. The Tosca cake, something of an angel’s food with a caramelized almond topping, could be lighter and higher-rising, but the chocolate-almond cake with hazelnut topping is rich and delicious, as is the crisp oatmeal cookie piled luxuriously with buttery chocolate mousse.

JUST A TASTE

HIGHLIGHTS OF OTHER NELSON REVIEWS

MOONDOGGIE’S, 909 Prospect St., La Jolla, 454-9722. The name implies that the surf’s always up--as it often is at nearby La Jolla beaches--but Moondoggie’s main purpose is to act as the sole sports bar in this part of town. It plays the role well, and on those occasions when major events are broadcast on television, the crowds can be large, enthusiastic and noisy. The menu mirrors the mood and specializes in bar food, as exemplified by such items as the Buffalo-style chicken wings, the loaf of fried onion rings (better than most), the simple sandwiches and burgers and the square-cut pizzas. Generosity is the watchword of the kitchen, but finesse is not, and the food by and large is simply acceptable. The advantages to this place lie in the enjoyable mood and in the terrace, which offers a fine view and is a great location for a simple, casual lunch. Sandwiches and entrees priced from $5.75 to $11.25. Moderate.

PARRENO’S, 4263 Taylor St., San Diego, 296-7940. This new eatery on the edge of Old Town brings together noted Italian chefs Robert Nouri and Nino Dobrich, who cook an extensive menu that offers weekly specials (roast quail and beef stewed in Chianti on Sunday, for example) and a good selection of Sicilian dishes, including swordfish with a piquant stuffing and an excellent seared steak topped with minced capers, olives, garlic and sweet peppers. The pasta list, though unimaginative, includes a superior cannelloni. Among other fine choices are the chicken Toscana and the veal with eggplant. Much of Parreno’s appeal comes from the pairing of relatively uptown cooking and atmosphere with neighborhood prices. Entrees $5.95 to $13.95. Inexpensive to expensive.

* SARO 926 Broadway Circle, San Diego 232-7173 Lunch weekdays, dinner Monday through Saturday. Closed Sunday. Entrees $6.75 to $12.25. Dinner for two, including a glass of wine each, tax and tip, about $25 to $50. Credit cards accepted