A Pinot Going Sour

Downtown? Sad to say, some Angelenos have only the vaguest idea where it is and would never consider going there for dinner. Even those who have ventured to the city center complain about the confusing maze of one-way streets. But with a rash of downtown restaurants opening, there’s reason to be adventurous. Personally, I enjoy the drive through the kaleidoscope of neighborhoods on the way toward those bright lights and big city high-rises.

Patina’s Joachim Splichal was one of the first “name” chefs to take a chance on downtown. (After all, his second job in Los Angeles was at the Seventh Street Bistro downtown, and he knows the area well.) Cafe Pinot is 4 years old now, and chefs have come and gone. When I revisited the restaurant over the past few months, I found some things had worn well, others had not.

When it opened, the cafe was the second of the ever-expanding galaxy of Pinot restaurants (including ones in Napa Valley, Las Vegas and, soon, Anaheim’s Downtown Disney). Splichal didn’t have as many balls in the air then and could devote more of his attention to Cafe Pinot, and it showed.

When I take friends who have never been there, they are thrilled by its look. Next door to the Central Library on 5th and Flower streets, Cafe Pinot inhabits a free-standing building that seems almost all glass, framing views that make the city look impossibly glamorous. Outside is a life-size metal cutout of the Pinot logo: a waiter carrying a tray. Servers are turned out to match in white shirts, ties and long black aprons. Wicker armchairs and closely set tables contribute to the city bistro look. And an artfully distressed mural of birds among tree branches adds a South of France charm.

To the left as you walk in the door is the busy glassed-in kitchen, where poultry and meats turn on the spit. At the back is a simple bar with an interesting crowd of regulars and lone diners sipping Champagne and eating oysters that are always pristine and fresh.

We request a table outside, where there’s a view of the adjoining Maguire Gardens. It’s a magical space, especially at night, dotted with olive trees, with the library in the background and skyscrapers lit up like Christmas trees looming overhead. Heat lamps allow outdoor dining almost year round, if you remember to bring a sweater.

That night, the French Bakersfield onion soup tastes as French as can be, a dark, beefy broth thick with slippery onions, topped with Gruyere that makes long strings when you take a bite. It’s a classic cold-weather dish, but one that Splichal has made a standby at the various Pinots--whether or not there’s sunshine. A salad of shiitake mushrooms, mache and a little bacon, along with salsify (a vegetable that hardly ever appears on local menus), is definitely appealing, if somewhat overdressed. I like a mille-feuille, too, filled with a saucy fricassee of chicken and the root vegetables--carrots, turnips, parsnips--that have become a minor theme in Splichal’s cooking.

When somebody’s pumpkin fettuccine arrives, spilling out of a miniature pumpkin, we’re impressed by the presentation. Unfortunately, the fettuccine is so gummy that it’s all stuck together. The sauce--sun-dried tomatoes, grilled red onion and spinach--doesn’t do much for it either.

Splichal’s contribution to the modern risotto is his hearty barley “risotto,” made with barley instead of rice and topped with a rag of braised oxtail. The barley’s nutty quality is an inspired complement to the shreds of tender, falling-off-the-bone oxtail and winter vegetables perfumed with thyme.

As for the other main courses, when veal kidneys show up on a menu, it is every gourmand’s duty to order them, no? These gently sauteed nuggets are so tender they’re almost custardy, accompanied by caramelized onions and roasted potatoes. Roast chicken smeared with a combination of mustards doesn’t lack flavor, but it could be crisper. And the fries that are so compellingly crunchy at first toughen as they cool. The spa fish of the night suffers from too many elements thrown in to give a lean, low-fat dish more flavor. This one has mussels, lobster and a slew of other ingredients, but the effect is unappetizing.

This meal has more ups than downs, actually, and I have hopes my next meal will be even better.

No such luck. First, the hostess is incredibly rude when we ask about the possibility of a garden table and promptly marches us to the worst table in the house. Later, she comes back and apologizes, promising us a fantastic dinner to make up for her abruptness. We don’t get it. Ourserver barely cracks a smile all evening. From the banging coming from that direction, the kitchen seems just as stressed. The whole place seems to be on autopilot.

The meal is so different from the one the week before, I think for a moment that perhaps the chef isn’t there. But he is. We’ve just decided what to order when the waiter informs us they’re out of two appetizers; a few minutes later, he is back again to say they’ve run out of swordfish and yet another appetizer. The possibilities diminishing by the minute, we hurry to order.

The salsify salad tastes dispirited, and the mille-feuille of chicken and root vegetables is dry. Seared foie gras is such a small piece it could fit into a coin purse. Even the endive salad, usually one of the best dishes here, is dull, weighted with a thick, over-emulsified dressing.

Mustard chicken is flaccid and overcooked. The roast duck is dried out but comes with a delicious chestnut stuffing. And the pot au feu is a disappointment. Where is the broth that’s the point of the whole dish? Boiled beef brisket, a carrot with an astonishing depth of flavor and a steamed potato sit in just a splash of broth.

Desserts are not particularly inspired either: They include two satiny creme brulees, one chocolate and one vanilla bean; a nice plate of profiteroles; an apple- blueberry pie so sweet it could strip the enamel from your teeth, and an even sweeter pineapple upside-down cake with chocolate sauce swirled with passion fruit and mango.

Lunch is a better bet. I’m sure most people find one or two things they like and order them again and again. Like the salad Nioise made with seared ahi tuna or the grilled rib-eye steak in a light red wine reduction. Or the lovely gazpacho with sauteed rock shrimp.

Opening restaurant after restaurant is well and good, if they can all keep to a high standard, but the Pinots tend to start strong and then become inconsistent. Though Splichal sold his restaurant empire to Restaurant Associates in mid-November, he and his wife, Christine, will continue to run the restaurants. First order of business: They need to bring the Cafe Pinot kitchen--and its service--back into focus. It would be a shame if Cafe Pinot continues to get by on its good looks, because now there’s more competition downtown, including from Splichal’s newest venture, Nick & Stef’s Steakhouse.

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Cafe Pinot

CUISINE: California-French. AMBIENCE: Sophisticated French cafe with wicker armchairs, waiters in long black aprons and view of the Maguire Gardens. BEST DISHES: Oysters on the half shell, French Bakersfield onion soup, salad Nioise, endive salad, barley risotto with braised oxtail, sauteed veal kidneys with chestnut stuffing, creme brulee. WINE PICKS: 1998 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley; 1998 Andrew Murray Syrah “Tous Les Jours,” California. FACTS: 700 W. 5th St., Los Angeles. Dinner daily, lunch weekdays. Appetizers, $6 to $14. Main courses, $16 to $26. Corkage, $10. Valet parking at dinner only; at lunch, park in lot beneath main library (entrance on Flower Street).