RESTAURANT REVIEW : Scenery Delights, but Food Disappoints : Via Vai offers lovely views of the Montecito foothills. But ordering is a hit, usually miss, affair.

What do you say about a restaurant that you want to like but that just doesn’t work?

Here’s Via Vai in upper Montecito, open since October. It is set in the patio corner of a small, low-key shopping center, with views of the Montecito foothills. And when the shadows fall across the hills at sunset, you find yourself in the loveliest of scenes.

The restaurant’s operators--who are also involved in the justly praised Pan e Vino across the street--boast a fine pedigree in the business; Chef Dario Furlati was also at Pan e Vino.

And yet . . .

Consider the waiter on the patio. Cordial, knowledgeable as to the food and wine. Quite professional. Yet, after the initial orders, he’s rarely around. You have to get up and find him just to get a second cup of coffee at meal’s end.

Choosing from the menu is a bit like throwing darts at a board--blindfolded. The agnello scottadito ($12.95) is a tasty dish of tiny lamb chops, grilled with rosemary and garlic, pink in the middle, beautifully charred on the outside. But the pollo ($8.50)--a half-chicken, grilled with rosemary and sage and garlic--comes overcooked and dry.

Costine alla senape ($8.95), grilled baby back ribs marinated with mustard, are not much different. They’re nicely crisp on the outside but not tender enough to flake off the bone, and without much flavor.

A plate of cosciotto di maiale ai funghi ($10.50) brings a rotisserie roasted pork leg that is nearly inedible. It is dry and either overcooked or a lousy piece of meat, even with a sauce of sauteed mushrooms struggling to save the situation.

Yet a baked sea bass dish-- branzino ai peperoni ($13.95)--can be beautifully tender and, laced with roasted peppers, lemon and garlic, cooked perfectly.

Probably the best dish I’ve eaten at Via Vai is piccata di gamberi ($12.95), an evening special. The succulent shrimp are sauteed in a sauce of lemon and capers, the lemon strong, yet subtle enough so that it seems to sink into the flesh of the shellfish.

A frequent side dish, roasted potatoes, is invariably mealy under the crisp surface. Fresh tomatoes, used in a number of dishes, are either underripe or poorly chosen to begin with.

Via Vai’s pastas are just OK. A pennette alla Siciliana ($9.50) has lots of gently cooked fresh tuna, with the capers, olives, garlic, pecorino cheese and tomato sauce blending together well enough to give it some character. The fettuccini al carciofi con formaggio e crema ($8.75), flat noodles served with artichoke hearts and cream sauce, may be what Italians think of as comfort food. Ditto the pappardelle al ragu ($8.50), a ragout of meat sauce, hard to criticize but equally difficult to praise.

A plate of antipasto della casa ($6.95) is excellent, with roasted vegetables and prosciutto-wrapped bread sticks.

There is debate among our group of Italian food lovers about the pizzas. We all agree that they’re nice and large for the price. While some like the thin crust, I think it is tasteless and dull.

The quattro formaggi pizza ($7.50), with its blend of four Italian cheeses, just doesn’t come together in the quality of its cheeses nearly as well as a couple of other cheese pizzas I’ve had recently. A capricciosa ($8.50), featuring tomato sauce, mozzarella, artichokes, olives, red onion, oregano, mushrooms and prosciutto, sounds wonderful, but mine had nearly all the topping loaded on one side and was watery.

It’s fairly obvious that this is going to be a popular local spot, but if there was just a little more attention to food preparation. . . .

Details

* WHAT: Via Vai.

* WHEN: 11:30 a.m. to about 10 p.m. every day.

* WHERE: 1483 E. Valley Road, Montecito.

* HOW MUCH: Lunch or dinner for two, food only, $11-$53.

* FYI: Reservations and major credit cards accepted; beer and wine.

* CALL: 565-9393.