RESTAURANT REVIEW : Crossroads Off to a Savory Start : The new Santa Barbara eatery still needs some tinkering, but the seafood, salad and lamb hit the spot.

The chef, said the waiter, was “having some trouble getting the salmon out of the package.” Since one of us was already munching away happily on an appetizer of fried rock shrimp, the other one--me--just had to sit back and wait.

Time went by; the waiter reappeared. “I fibbed a little,” he said. The problem was not the smoked salmon, he explained, it was the waffle iron, the one they use to make the corn waffle. First, they couldn’t find it and, then, when they did, they poured in the batter and forgot to plug in the iron. A while later, the first waffle--is this a surprise to anyone?--burned.

But it was worth the wait. The smoked salmon ($8.25) appetizer at Santa Barbara’s new Crossroads restaurant, served on a very fresh corn waffle, in a relish of peppers, is a luscious dish: crunchy, savory and different.

The anecdote--and the smoked salmon dish--illustrate what is both right and wrong with Crossroads: It’s a restaurant that serves some outstanding food and, with a bit more time and tinkering, will be as important as it seems to want to be.

It bills itself as “An American Grill” and its location, immediately across the narrow street from the city’s Bird Refuge, is a distinctive one. In recent years, it has been the site of two other significant Santa Barbara restaurants, Penelope’s and, until late last year, Michael’s Waterside Inn.

A lot of remodeling work went on at the restaurant in the months before Crossroads opened, and the building was nearly gutted. Bar patrons now look out across the Bird Refuge lagoon toward the ocean.

The interior has white linens, dark wood trim, subtle though effective lighting and seating that is especially comfortable--except for a few of the usual cramped deuces. It is indeed a pleasure, these days, to find yourself in a restaurant where you can hear the conversation of your companion without leaning across the table. You can also read the menu here without a flashlight.

The restaurant is the brainchild of Michael and Candice Hartmann. But the kitchen belongs to chef Patrick Waterbury, who is dishing up some very interesting food. Michael Hartmann and Waterbury had worked together briefly years ago at Denver’s Rattlesnake Club.

That deep-fried rock shrimp ($7.50) appetizer, in a sauce of sherry mustard and sweet peppers, is nearly a meal in itself. Lightly breaded and fried, the shrimp is a simple contrast to the richness of the sauce. The herbed calamari ($5.95) appetizer is in the same category, its breading laced with herbs and horseradish.

You might just as well forget what should be the most interesting appetizer dish. Fritters of wild mushrooms and potato ($6.25) in a smoked Cheddar sauce sounds great, but the result is boring. Which gives you a good reason to order the pan-fried Washington state oysters ($8.50) instead. Served in the shell, the oysters are warm and juicy, and the chopped cucumber-tomato relish is an effective contrast to their very light breading.

You’d think that a salad as simple as hearts of romaine with maytag blue cheese ($6) would be nothing to write home--or in a newspaper--about. Somehow, these crisp romaine hearts seem to jump off the plate and onto your palate. Their creamy garlic dressing avoids the cloying quality of some creamy dressings, and the roasted garlic, olive oil, vinegar, lemon, egg and pepper are the most sensuous of combinations. That’s a contrast to the nearly startling flavors in the country ham and dry jack cheese salad ($7.50), served with mixed greens with a lemon vinaigrette. Here, the flavors seem to battle one another on your tongue--and a wonderful battle it is.

A thick, oven-roasted breast of chicken ($14.95) comes perfectly cooked, not overdone, in a thin crust of bread crumbs and tarragon, almost a fried chicken. The side dish is a luscious pile of mashed potatoes mixed with caramelized garlic.

Waterbury has missed the boat on what the menu describes as ground round ($9). It’s really a $9 hamburger, and not a very good one. Waterbury’s roast rack of lamb ($21) couldn’t be better. It’s four chops of Sonoma lamb, and the meat melts in your mouth.

It may be that the single best entree on the menu is the pan-roasted peppered tuna ($16.95). The dish is ahi tuna, a small piece, beautifully moist in the middle, served with oven-dried tomatoes and leeks, the leeks in the form of deep-fried slivers on top. The peppered sauce originates in a lobster stock reduction.

On the other hand, the casserole of prawns ($18), which sounds so good, with its mushrooms, split peas and seasoned vegetables, doesn’t make it past “it’s OK.” As a lover of casseroles of any sort, I must confess that this one leaves me cold. Its flavors don’t come together.

Both pastas are excellent, although I haven’t actually eaten both, just elements of both. One evening when the bow-tie pasta and smoked rabbit sausage ($13) was not available, the waiter suggested asking the kitchen to do the grilled scallops and ribbon pasta ($16.50), but served with the sauce that normally goes on the other dish instead of the usual cream sauce. The result was delicious, with the sauce of favas, tomato, marjoram and mustard, the scallops grilled quickly and succulent, all their juices held inside.

Crossroads desserts are rich, and usually worth saving room for. Their ice cream sandwich ($4.95)--chocolate wafers with two ice creams and fudge and caramel sauce--can really put you away. If you want more, try the pecan chocolate truffle tart ($6). It’s a very small slice, for good reason. It comes with cappuccino ice cream and is as heavy as it gets. Pass on the warm apple crisp ($5.25). The apples are overcooked, and the toffee chip crust and vanilla bean ice cream can’t rescue it.

Details

* WHAT: Crossroads.

* WHERE: 50 Los Patos Way, Santa Barbara.

* WHEN: Open seven days, lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., dinner from 5:30 p.m.

* HOW MUCH: Meals for two, food only, $40 to $74.

* ETC.: Reservations accepted, major credit cards accepted, full bar. Call 969-6705.