RESTAURANT REVIEW : Aglow Over the Cobalt Cantina

I’m mad for the Cobalt Cantina on Sunset, where the old L.A. Nicola used to be. Every time I’ve been there, I’ve had a good time. I even like some of its imperfections.

The dining room is long and attractive, with decent art and one brick wall painted muted chile-red. Tablecloths are topped with butcher paper and potted succulents. Some of the little blond chairs may wobble a bit, and the vast menu could use some judicious editing--one of the partners came from California Pizza Kitchen, the other came from the Authentic Cafe and the menu seems oddly split between the two. Still, the prices, the food, and the atmosphere are downright enchanting. The bar--still called The Martini Lounge from its L.A. Nicola days--has a cozy banquette and occasional live music.

The Cobalt Cantina is fun, but not in any obvious way: There are no gimmicks, no crayons on the table, no battalions of singing waiters (although one waiter is learning to juggle--he’s the source of the orange I saw flying over the blue wall next to the waiter’s station). Cobalt is fun because it’s relaxed and relaxing--the staff seems to be having a great time and their high spirits are infectious. What’s more, they do a good job and there are a lot of them. “A cast of thousands,” said one friend, who noted that every item brought to our table one Saturday night--drinks, appetizers, silverware, salads, entrees--was delivered by different person.

The Tex/Mex/Mom-style food looks great on bright neo-Fiestaware, and some platefuls are fabulous: sweet potato tamales (in both appetizer and entree portions) might be exactly what the tubers were made for. Calamari , crunchy with cornmeal, is terrific dipped in a sweet, spicy fruit sauce. Grilled chicken, which comes with a choice of five sauces, is best with the papaya and red banana salsa. Juicy pork chops are wonderful in large part because they’re smothered with the same salsa. Also good--and quite spicy--are the crunchy chiles rellenos stuffed with turkey and black beans. The potatoes-and-chorizo pizza is understated and sublime. And the black beans, which accompany many of the dishes, are the best in town.

Some of the food is less piquant and provocative, and more along the lines of comfort food--like Mom food, bland-but-grand. There is the homey meatloaf served with richly sauced, cheesy red potatoes; a flavorful (if not exactly tender) slab of prime rib served with a baked potato and “cantina vegetables”--jicama, peppers, onions. The blue and red enchiladas, in the dim light at dinner, reveal neither the alleged verde sauce nor blueness as promised on the menu: they’re fat, unremarkable cheese enchiladas. A chicken gumbo soup is just fine, especially if you have a holiday head cold.

Some of the food is, well, nothing to write home about. The chicken and turkey sausage sandwich is a tasty enough sausage on a spongy, gutless bun. The diablo pasta was topped with an ordinary tomato sauce, vaguely spicy, and some corn and shrimp. The “spicy rice” that comes with some of the entrees, doesn’t always live up to its name.

And some of the food is, well, downright ridiculous. After examining “Paul’s Pizza Salad” for a minute or so, my dining pal and I burst into laughter: What a confusing heap of food! Strips and chunks of grilled chicken, fancy mixed greens, avocado, papaya, wedges of pizza dough, shredded radish, big globs of sprouts--help!

Another time, urged on by our waiter, we ordered penne with barbecue sauce. “I know it sounds weird, but it’s really good,” our waiter assured us. The very thought of it made me laugh, and the real thing made me laugh harder. It’s like something a person would make at home in a crazed fit of hunger if there were nothing in the house but frozen hamburger, a can of corn and a bottle of barbecue sauce. The first few mouthfuls were fine, but soon enough, the richness and sweetness of the sauce became cloying. The bombs at Cobalt, while truly bombs, somehow manage to be highly amusing at the same time.

Desserts are imported from Pasadena’s Old Town Bakery, which means that they’re very rich and very sweet. In my opinion, the blueberry pie with crunchy pecan topping and good vanilla ice cream is enough sugar and flavor for at least two, if not three eaters.

* Cobalt Cantina, 4326 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 953-9991. Lunch Monday through Friday, dinner seven nights, brunch Sunday. Full bar. Valet parking. Major credit cards. Dinner for two, food only, $17 to $48.