RESTAURANT REVIEW : VALLEY WEEKEND : Bargain Prices Are This Eatery’s Eccentricity

The San Fernando Valley is chockablock with what fabled New Yorker journalist A.J. Liebling described as “little places where you eat for practically nothing.” Xntric Cafe is one of those places, a more goofy than eccentric cafe specializing in hearty Cuban dishes, pastas and salads. The cafe has been around several years, but a man named Brian Bender has just taken over the business, so look for a few subtle changes.

This is an unpretentious room with a stone floor, designer chairs, a few paintings from a local artist and a large deli counter. I ate here a while back when the owner was Cuban, and the food has been toned down ever so slightly since then. The roast chicken seems less garlicky now, and the ropa vieja sandwich, which should be made with shredded beef, is now made with shredded chicken.

Happily, Xntric Cafe is still a casual, low-priced spot where the cooking is steady and the atmosphere is relaxed. Maybe even too relaxed. One evening, we sat around nearly 15 minutes waiting to order, while the waitress occupied herself with the demands of a second table. Bender, meanwhile, just stood around.

If the message is that order taking isn’t part of an owner’s job description, it’s not a practical message. My guests were miffed about a restaurant they were all set to like.

During lunch, things go more briskly. The restaurant was full one day, so a friend and I sat outside at a sidewalk table, watching traffic rush by on the boulevard. In short order we were served a plate of complimentary Cuban soda crackers and a jar of deli mustard. Then came some neutrally flavored lobster tacos topped with an attractive tomatillo sauce and served with four minced toppings, and a Valley-esque version of the Cuban media noche sandwich: ham, turkey and Swiss on sweet bread (unfortunately it was not grilled as it should be and came to us cold).

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It does get better, though. Xntric Cafe may no longer be in Cuban hands, but the chefs who stayed behind prepare a first-rate black bean soup, loaded with cumin and the herb epazote. When the waitress brings the specials board, keep an eye out for the grilled vegetable burrito, a masterpiece of charcoal-grilled tomato, zucchini, eggplant and onion, in a fat cylinder stuffed with rice and black beans.

Roast chicken, in two styles, is probably the biggest draw. I don’t know where this restaurant buys its chickens, but half a chicken here is about the size of a whole chicken at Rosti, just down the street.

Xntric Cafe will serve chicken in either Cuban or Jamaican style. I’ve had both, and the differences are not particularly pronounced. The menu claims that the Jamaican is distinguished by a seasoned garlic marinade, while the Cuban style has a citrus-infused orange glaze. I’d say the difference is more that one has a bit of orange on the outer skin, and the other doesn’t. Both sit astride a mountain of good white rice and zesty black beans.

What restaurant on this street is without its pastas? Our waitress was enthusiastic about the tequila chicken pasta, which is spinach fettuccine with a creamy tequila sauce and cilantro, red onion and sun-dried tomatoes. I don’t know why anyone would think so highly of a gluey mess like this. The acid in sun-dried tomatoes tastes even sharper in a sauce with tequila and cream.

Better is the pasta marinara--just noodles in a tasty red sauce with a little grated Parmesan.

From the list of about 15 entree salads, you can rely on a solid Caesar served with a pile of blue corn tortilla chips, a rich taco salad made with seasoned ground beef and a shatteringly high lipid trio of sour cream, guacamole and cheddar cheese, plus a hearty Greek salad with feta, Kalamata olives, cucumber, red onion and, for this time of year, surprisingly ripe tomatoes.

At the finish, there is a respectable lattice-crusted apple pie and a fudge brownie torte, from a local bakery, and decent espresso to go along with the sweets. The best news about Xntric Cafe is the price. Virtually nothing on the menu is more than $7.95. In this day and age, that’s almost an eccentricity.

DETAILS

* WHAT: Xntric Cafe.

* WHERE: 10250 Ventura Blvd., Encino.

* WHEN: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday, 5-10 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday.

* HOW MUCH: Dinner for two, $14-$22.

* FYI: Suggested dishes: black bean soup, $3.75; Greek salad, $7.50; Cuban-style chicken, $7.95; vegetarian burrito, $6.50. No alcohol. Parking in rear lot. American Express, MasterCard and Visa.

* CALL: (818) 783-7110.