Food Fit for a Filibusterer

You walk into Abiento expecting yet another ordinary Italian pizza-and-pasta meal. You see the open, spacious dining room; you see the Pellegrino sparkling water; you see the potted herbs on the table, the bistro uniforms on the waiters. Nothing unusual.

Then you look at the menu. Nothing costs more than $11.50. So OK, you think, the food might not be that special, but at least it’s not going to cost that much. You try to pick out something simple, maybe the fettuccine with pancetta and onions. The grilled pork loin with onion marmalade looks pretty good too. You notice that there are some French-influenced dishes--a paysanne omelet, grilled vegetables with aioli , duck pate --but you dismiss this as just so much Urban Rustic trendiness.

Now your food arrives. You take a bite of the fettuccine. The onions are soft and delicious, scented with fresh herbs. The pancetta is more like thick, good hunks of ham, rather than the small, bacony bits you’re used to. The pasta tastes homemade. It’s a dish that would be more at home in Nice than Naples.

You try the pork loin, the shrimp with white beans, the grilled quail with polenta and discover the fettuccine was no fluke. Now you worry. This can’t last, you think. You look around at the half-empty room and realize this is the restaurant’s first day. Once the place fills up--and it will--you know the chef and his crew will overextend themselves. You know the service will deteriorate. Still, Abiento has promise--and a good chef. Richard Steffann may be new to Southern Californians, but he’s been cooking on the East Coast, feeding senators at Georgetown’s 1789 Restaurant and New Yorkers at the River Cafe and La Colombe D’Or. All you can do now is cross your fingers and keep going back.

* Abiento, 110 S. Lake Ave., Pasadena, (818) 449-4151. Entrees change daily, approximate price range $7.95 - $11.50.