California Cucina Mixes Its Accents

California Cucina: The name suggests Italian food filtered through a Californian sensibility once again--ho hum. But on closer examination one finds that the owner and the bistro-like decor at this Rolling Hills Estates establishment are actually French, and the chef is Basque.

“We didn’t want to scare away customers with a French name and an all-French menu,” says owner Jo Etesse, born in the revered French city of Lourdes at the foot of the Pyrenees, “because many people still think of French food as heavy and expensive.” So Jo and brother Jean Yves, who owns a restaurant in Toluca Lake, went with the popular cuisine of the day--Italian--but with some interesting additions.

Chef Claude Bellocq’s appetizer list tempts with the likes of scallops provencale sauteed with garlic, olive oil, and tomato ($7.50), grilled polenta smeared with melted goat cheese, ($7) and calamari fritti served with a spicy tomato sauce. A specialty of Nice, pissaladiere ($6), is a flaky, pizza-like tart topped with caramelized onions, anchovies and black olives.

The popular chopped salad ($4.50) features organic mixed greens, roasted bell peppers, feta cheese, garbanzos, marinated eggplant, zucchini and Kalamata olives. Another nod to Nice, the Nicoise salad ($5), contains tuna, eggs, anchovies, olives, bell peppers and green beans. Pastas to look for are simple angel hair with plum tomatoes, fresh basil and garlic ($7.50), the full-flavored penne with a turkey breast, red and yellow bell peppers, basil, garlic and crumbled feta ($9.50), and spinach fettuccine with a chicken breast, sun-dried tomatoes, cilantro and tequila cream sauce ($9).

Jo’s mussels ($9.50) are a Basque-style mussel saute with onions and green, red and yellow peppers in a light tomato sauce given a meaty boost with ground pork and prosciutto.

California Cucina is at 767 Deep Valley Drive, Rolling Hills Estates. (310) 377-2533. Open seven days 11 a.m. to 11 p.m..