Noise, Slow Service Dampen Glencastle’s Spirits

Glencastle Brewery and Restaurant in Glendale is an ambitious entry in the brew-pub race. So far, I’d say it merits guarded praise.

Yes, there are plenty of delicious, refreshing brews to sample, siphoned from gleaming floor-to-ceiling copper or stainless steel tanks into inviting 12- or 16-ounce glasses. And yes, the restaurant serves an eclectic--even sophisticated--mix of finger foods, pizzas and entrees to its boisterous young crowd. It’s just that there are, well, some wrinkles.

The room is rather starkly designed, for instance. The main dining area, which puts a premium on spaciousness, features wooden chairs, brick walls, a stone floor, several 35-inch TVs and a long tasting bar fronting the beer tanks. The result is acoustics that border on the ear-splitting whenever a crowd is on hand.

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Perhaps the decibel problem would lessen if the managers would turn down the rock music at the bar, at least during sporting events. A group of us imbibed there one evening while the Bulls and Sonics were engaged in battle. Normal human eardrums were not designed to hear Marv Albert and Smashing Pumpkins simultaneously.

Then there is the thornier problem of a slow kitchen. Every time I’ve dined here, the food has arrived at the table torturously late, often taking half an hour just for soups and salads. Could this be a strategy to get the customers to drink up? I doubt it. I’m betting that ex-Spago sous chef Graham Wilcox, who has an appealing, intelligent style, is merely having difficulty with his brigade.

But first some froth. Because Glencastle rotates the beers brewed on a daily basis, the choices vary. The best one I sampled was Pale Ale, a coppery brew with a mildly bitter edge and a nice bite. In Red Ale, the hops play well off the strong malt flavor. The filtered Cream Ale, though, has a timid, watery taste.

No one is likely to describe Wilcox’s food as timid. This is assertive stuff, when it works; a tad overwhelming when it doesn’t.

He juices up his Asian-style clam chowder with lemon grass and peppers in a way that would cause a scandal in Maine, but lemon grass is a natural companion for cream. The dish works like a charm.

Crisp calamari are spicily breaded and served with a nice cocktail sauce with a dash of oregano. Good grilled mushrooms are marinated in garlic and olive oil before being finished with a spray of chopped parsley.

Mexican mussels, a big improvement over the flavorless New Zealand variety, are roasted dry in a cast iron skillet, a process that seals in the flavors nicely.

Pizzas are popular here, and they are notable for their creative toppings. (The only thing I have against them is the fact that they’re baked in a gas-fired metal pizza oven, rather than a wood-fired brick oven.) A few stand out. Try the Asian barbecue chicken pizza, topped with mozzarella, spicy grilled chicken smeared with hoisin sauce, cilantro and won ton crisps.

Another good one is the garlic kielbasa pizza, made with a homemade Polish sausage that would scare away vampires.

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Wilcox has created a few quirky pastas, too, to go with the beers. Thai shrimp pasta is the menu’s best dish. It’s pasta with shrimp poached al dente in a fiery broth with green onions, straw mushrooms and red chiles, and it really captures the essence of Thai cooking.

Curried chicken pasta is a bizarre but addictive fusion dish. It’s a bed of pan-fried Japanese soba noodles topped with a pile of dry Indian-style curry.

The entrees have been less consistent. A grilled rib eye has terrific cheddar-chive mashed potatoes, but the meat itself is gristly. Chicken in pastry is an intriguing failure, consisting of chicken, mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes in puff pastry; unfortunately, the gluey sauce makes pastry soggy.

And California gumbo--described as a “nontraditional shellfish gumbo served cioppino-style with the addition of basmati rice”--turns out to be an unappealing mixture of cut-up seafoods in a cloying tomato stew.

Those are, though, minor quibbles with what rates to be a draw in downtown Glendale for some time to come. Now I can work on NBC to move Marv Albert to golf, where he’ll be whispering at least some of the coverage.

DETAILS

* WHAT: Glencastle Brewery and Restaurant.

* WHERE: 214 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale.

* WHEN: Open 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-1 a.m. Friday-Saturday. 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Sunday.

* HOW MUCH: Dinner for two, $18-$32. Suggested dishes: Asian-style clam chowder, $3.75; crisp calamari, $4.50; Thai shrimp pasta, $9.25; curried chicken pasta, $8.50.

* CALL: (818) 240-4832.

* FYI: Beer and wine only. Street parking. American Express, MasterCard and Visa.