RESTAURANTS : MIXXED REVIEWS : At Critixx in Pasadena, the <i> Tapas</i> Run the Gamut From ‘Applause’ to ‘Les Miserables’

For a brief moment in the ‘80s, Spanish tapas seemed poised for a major entrance onto the scene. But the idea of spending an evening, an often expensive evening, sampling an array of small bites quickly lost its appeal. Another food fad with a brief shelf life. For Americans, it was back to meatloaf and mashed potatoes and big plates of food.

Every few years, though, someone attempts to revive the concept of tapas. And in the past few months, the “little dishes” of Spain are making a small comeback with Cava in West Hollywood and with the opening of Alegria in Long Beach and now Critixx in Pasadena.

Shaded by a gnarled olive tree, North Hall, where Critixx is located, and the adjoining Pasadena Playhouse open onto a graceful courtyard where theatergoers gather during intermission.

The latest project from Sharon and Patrick Westmoreland, who also own the Pasadena restaurant Roxxi, Critixx has the advantage of a built-in clientele for pre- and post-theater noshing. The menu of “international” tapas can accommodate everyone from the playgoer who wants to dissect the production over a glass of sherry and a bowl of roasted almonds to a group out for wine and food sampling.

On my first visit, I happened to order almost all of the best dishes. The roasted almonds were so fresh and crisp, I didn’t mind paying $3.75 for olives, a tiny bowl of nuts and a couple of terrific, skinny hand-rolled bread sticks. Critixx bakes all of its own breads, including thin sheets of lahvosh , the Armenian cracker bread, and a spongy focaccia stained red with that California cliche, sun-dried tomatoes.

A thick wedge of Spanish potato-and-egg tortilla, cousin to the Italian frittata , was earthy and good. Three seared, beautifully cooked scallops came with a delicious, rough-textured hazelnut romesco, a Catalan sauce of tomatoes, sweet peppers, chiles and pounded nuts. Mussels steamed in white wine and garlic were tender and delicious. A trio of small empanadas had a rich short crust, but the cumin-spiked ropa vieja filling could hardly be called spicy.

Marinated quail was nicely charred, accompanied by creamed corn in Jack Daniels “red eye” gravy for a bit of Americana. Jamaican jerk chicken was a bit dry. “Musician’s tart” is a lovely version of the Catalan classic, a mixture of dried fruits and nuts in a flaky tart shell.

The long, narrow room, with umber stucco walls and arched windows, is bracketed by the bar at one end and the open kitchen at the other. Neat rows of tables and black-and-cream leather bistro chairs are arranged in the middle. One busy weekend night, it’s hard to hear above the din as a musician plays “La Vie en Rose” on an electrified violin. “Have you been here before?” shrieks our waiter. “The menu is tapas. See, there’s cold tapas and hot tapas ,” she says, pointing. “Any specials tonight?” we ask. “No, but I’m special . . . and I’m sure you are, too,” she finishes in a rush.

This time, we don’t choose nearly so well. Mini (more like micro) Spanish sausage skewers are set atop a huge mound of good, garlicky mashed potatoes, but $4.95 seems like a lot for those few bites of sausage. Soggy grilled zucchini rolls filled with herbed goat cheese gum up in the mouth, a candidate for the short list of the year’s worst dishes. Fried calamari comes out strangely pale, chewy as rawhide. The delicate ahi tuna is obliterated by sweet ponzu sauce.

The kitchen seems to be fixated on mayonnaise and sweet sauces. Along with the breads, the waiter sets down a small crock of aioli. The Spanish tortilla is dribbled with the same thin garlic mayonnaise. Shrimp wrapped in shredded yuca , a starchy tuber, come with a bland passion fruit mayonnaise-and-yogurt dipping sauce; empanadas sit in sweet garlic cream.

Chef Jim Harringer has expanded the idea of Spanish tapas to world bites, but these dishes give only a slight nod to the culinary tradition of Japan, say, or China. The flavors aren’t gutsy enough to hold much interest. To further confuse the tapas issue, Critixx’s menu also includes a few main courses. Roasted baby chicken sprinkled with herbs comes out sadly overcooked; sliced grilled lamb loin sits on soggy spinach in a thin, sweetish sauce. Even that Spanish stalwart paella makes a pallid entrance: flavorful but pale rice, minus peas or greenery, just a few shellfish and shreds of chicken and Spanish sausage. The pile of rubbery calamari on top seems like an afterthought.

The house sangria is agreeable, nicely chilled and not at all sweet, but it doesn’t go particularly well with the food. A better choice might be the ’92 Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio from the Alto Adige region of Italy ($19.95). Or the first-rate ’91 Tinto Pesquera (Bodegas A. Fernandez), a full-bodied Spanish red wine ($26.95).

The wine list offers a number of wonderful finds at $25 or under, including Antinori’s ’90 Chianti “Peppoli” ($24.95) and Capezzana’s ’92 “Barco Reale” at $18.95. Critixx also serves sherries by the glass, all from the distinguished Jerez house of Emilio Lustau.

Critixx may have the adavantage of a somehwat captive audience, but if it is going to make the Spanish tradition of tapas more than just a novelty, the kitchen has to loosen up and introduce more enticing, vivid flavors to its mostly monochromatic palette. Also, tapas may not translate well to a sit-down restaurant. In Spain, it is much more of a messily exuberant affair, with people crammed five or six deep at the bar, shouting out orders for sizzling garlic shrimp or grilled mushrooms, clamoring for wedges of potato or codfish tortilla or pimiento-stained octopus skewered on toothpicks. At Critixx, tapas have rarely been this sedate.

Critixx, at the Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena; (818) 577-9944. Closed Mondays and at lunch ; open for brunch Sundays. Parking in the rear of the Playhouse and in public lots nearby. Tapas for two, food only, $26 to $50.