Trendy Bits of Italy, Brazil Come Ashore at Fashion Island

Fashion Island has always had lots of places to eat. Two fairly new additions are worth looking at because they signify new dining trends. One is a Brazilian cafe; the other is an upscale Italian sandwich emporium.

Neither is a formal restaurant. The Brazilian Tropical Cafe, which opened last year in the Atrium Court, is one of the food stalls flanking the Irvine Ranch Market. The setup is the same as in almost any shopping mall food court: You order from the counter, pick up your food and saunter off to a table in a common dining area.

Not counting Yolie’s Brazilian Steakhouse in Irvine, this is the only place in Orange County to experience the flavors of Brazil. Of course, there’s not really much reason to count Yolie’s, which has a grilled meat menu that isn’t specifically Brazilian. And even here at the Brazilian Tropical Cafe, getting the flavors of Brazil is a bit problematic, because many dishes seem to have been toned down. Luckily, a few are redeemed by lots of flavor and bang for the buck.

Much of the menu is not specifically Brazilian--crepes, salads, brochettes--but on it you’ll see many famous Brazilian dishes, such as feijoada , cozido , muqueca and pastel . That means it’s no problem at all to eat like a Brazilian, as long as you know what to order. You can even drink like a Brazilian, by washing the stuff down with a can of Guarana, Brazil’s legendary soft drink. (It’s an acquired taste--imagine a carbonated, raspberry-flavored shampoo.)

Even though the pasteles , or turnovers, are deep-fried and probably not as healthful as the other dishes served here, they’re hard to resist. Try the delicious beef pastel with some of the cafe’s papaya salsa or the unusual pastel stuffed with hearts of palm.

If you feel like having some soup, you might be tempted by the caldo verde , but be strong. It’s just an insipid potato puree, with collard greens adding color and not much else. Go for the spicy thick black bean soup instead.

The muqueca, a rich dish of shrimp sauteed in a coconut-chili sauce with green pepper, is pretty authentic except for the omission of palm oil ( dende ). On the other hand, palm oil, as any cardiologist will tell you, is so high in saturated fats as to be off the charts. So count your blessings.

Crepes come with Brazilian fries (freshly cut and topped with sauteed onions and jalapenos) and are meals in themselves. I must say, though, crepe Brazil is too salty for my taste. It’s filled with slices of the Portuguese sausage known as linguica , black beans, onions and rice.

That same salty sausage is also used to excess in Brazil’s national dish, feijoada . This is a heavy black bean stew served over rice, alongside little piles of collard greens and fried manioc flour ( farofa ), which you mix in as garnishes. In a true feijoada completa , though, there would be a wider range of meats.

Better is cozido , a generous stew of white beans, chicken, cabbage, carrots and potatoes, though it too suffers from too much salt. Maybe you need all that salt in the Brazilian climate. You can do without it in air-conditioned Newport.

Brazilian Tropical Cafe is inexpensive. Sides are 93 cents to $2.75. Salads and entrees are $3.95 to $5.95.

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From Brazil, we move upstairs and across the mall to Italy: Francoli Gourmet Emporio, adjacent to I. Magnin. This is a multipurpose store featuring hand-painted Italian crockery, fancy glassware, stainless steel dinnerware, imported pastas, a fine selection of Italian wines, designer grappas from Jacopo Poli and--the relevant item here--assorted panini (literally, “little breads”), which are Italian sandwiches.

The panini phenomenon is just showing up in Orange County, though it’s been around for years in Los Angeles (where, for instance, chef Celestino Drago sells them in a specially designed cafe at the Museum of Contemporary Art). The idea is to combine fresh Italian breads such as focaccia or grilled country white bread with savory Italian ingredients such as prosciutto, bufala mozzarella, grilled eggplant and roasted peppers. The possibilities are essentially limitless; they may be made with focaccia, but we’re still talking about sandwiches.

Francoli Gourmet Emporio may not be a food stall, but it’s not a restaurant either. The espresso bar is the only section where you might actually sit and eat. You will be served the panini to go, boxed with brochettes of fresh seasonal fruits. Most customers take their boxes outside and eat at the wrought-iron tables and chairs in a courtyard-like space nearby. It’s almost like picnicking smack in the middle of a shopping mall.

I’m already addicted to the panini here. My favorite is the torta di salmone , a puffy dome of focaccia draped with smoky salmon and a light schmear of mascarpone, then sprinkled liberally with garlic chives, Bermuda onion and capers. B. L. T. a la Francoli is also delightful, consisting of air-dried beef ( bresaola ), romaine, tomatoes and arugula in a homemade Caesar dressing on thickly sliced, rosemary-perfumed country bread.

Panini Caesar uses the same bread and an odd mixture of diced smoked chicken, chopped lettuce and Italian parsley with the same pungent Caesar dressing; it’s a chicken salad sandwich you never imagined, and it grows on you. The simplest sandwich has to be the grilled panini di Parma with prosciutto and Fontina cheese, which certainly goes the American grilled cheese one better. Vegetarians may cotton to the panino Mediterraneo , a medley of marinated eggplant, carrot and tomato, crowned by herbed goat cheese.

Every panino I tasted here was first-rate. As a bonus, Francoli serves one of the best, frothiest cappuccinos in town, properly bitter and milky in a giant porcelain bowl. There are even various biscotti and Italian chocolates to accompany the coffee, and they are fine too. I don’t know about anybody else, but I think I’ve found a home for the summer.

Francoli Gourmet Emporio is inexpensive to moderate. Panini are $5.50 to $6.25.

THE BRAZILIAN TROPICAL CAFE

* 401 Newport Center Drive, A-106, Newport Beach.

* (714) 720-1522.

* Open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday till 8 p.m.

* Cash only.

FRANCOLI GOURMET EMPORIO

* 1133 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach.

* (714) 721-1289.

* Open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

* American Express, MasterCard and Visa accepted.