Great Food in the Slow Lane

“I think we’ve discovered a little piece of Europe in Orange County,” a friend declared when the bread finally arrived. He was not referring to the food, which was still a long way off, but to the wait for it, which at the moment seemed poised to rival a Jerry Lewis telethon in length.

What really made it European, I suppose, was the emphatic slow-food attitude. At Trimarco, a family-run Italian restaurant in Westminster, you’ll get no apologies for slow service. The feeling clearly was: If you’re going to get uptight about time, go to McDonald’s. Good food takes time, you’ll be told, particularly at a tiny place like this one. The chef, Giovanni Trimarco, does nearly everything single-handedly.

By the time the antipasti arrived, I was ravenous and a bit cranky, but my attitude turned on a dime when I bit into the calamari al salto . The lightly breaded calamari in lemon white wine sauce was soft and succulent and had gloriously absorbed the flavors of the shallots, tomatoes, olives, capers and herbs with which it had been sauteed.

Let me cut to the chase: Trimarco is the best Orange County restaurant I’ve been to this year. The food, which is mostly of a northern Italian stripe, is meticulously, not to say obsessively, prepared. The quality of the produce is excellent, and the prices are restrained. It’s the kind of quirky place you can really fall in love with, tics and all.

The decor is unassuming. A few free-standing replicas of Florentine columns and a couple of Michelangelo-inspired murals (painted by the chef himself) barely disguise the fact that this used to be a store. But the pride of ownership is evident. Before delivering a dish to the table, Trimarco’s wife, Heidi, who often doubles as hostess, tends to pass it before the eyes of other diners, as if showing off a newborn.

That calamari may be the peak experience of the antipasto menu, but there are other wonderful selections. Gorgonzola in carozza is a sophisticated grilled-cheese sandwich, the pungent, melted Gorgonzola oozing from between two triangular slices of crisp, egg-battered wheat bread. The crusty slices of garlic-rubbed bread providing the foundation for the bruschetta alla Toscana are topped with a simple mixture of good diced tomatoes and olive oil punched up with a high note of basil.

On my first visit we got a focaccio Etrusca . We hadn’t ordered it, but the hostess said the chef always sent one out to first-time visitors. It was as thin and crackly as pizza crust, topped with thin slices of Roma tomatoes and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.

The soups are based on a savory veal stock with a depth of flavor that testifies to many hours of cooking. I have always thought that soups benefit from a little age, as a rule, but the tomato-vegetable soup I had the first time, closer to a minestrina than a minestrone, had been prepared only minutes before serving, highlighting the pure flavor of fresh vegetables. On my next visit a stunning, pureed chickpea soup laced with earthy forest mushrooms resounded beautifully against that excellent veal stock.

When it comes to pasta (made daily on the premises), the spaghetti Bolognese reigns supreme because of a silky meat sauce infused with strongly smoked Italian sausage. Also in the comfort food department is penne della nonnina , tossed with homemade herbed sausage. The simmered scallops, shrimp and other seafood that grace the fettuccine ai sapori di mare are bolstered by a pleasingly light lemon-butter sauce.

My only quibble with Trimarco’s bill of fare is that he likes to play around with mesquite, and a lot of times it doesn’t quite work. The penne all’ arrabbiata in olio didn’t quite reach liftoff, and the diced, mesquite-smoked bacon didn’t help matters any. Mesquite smoke also inflicted damage on the otherwise good lamb chops offered as a special one night.

But other entrees hold the standard. There are no standing seafood selections on the menu because Trimarco goes with the best of the daily catch. Heidi made a point of telling us that the fish supplier was right across the street. Just when I began to conclude he was still out in the ocean trolling for the swordfish I’d ordered, it arrived, perfectly sauteed, drizzled with lemon and olive oil and sparingly stuffed with a delicate filling of eggplant, onions and red bell peppers, none of which got in the way of the flavor of that moist, wonderful fish.

Trimarco has a delicate touch with sauces, and he knows when to let the quality of his main ingredients speak for themselves. Elsewhere veal piccata often has a rubbery texture and little flavor, but Trimarco’s version, though its egg wash is a little on the heavy side, is tender and juicy, and the subtle lemon-white wine sauce deftly points up the naked, sweetish taste of very tender veal.

Yes, the desserts are fabulous too. They change nightly, but if you get the chance, try the blueberry crepe. Served in a puddle of blueberry-wine reduction sauce, it’s gorged with creamy mascarpone cheese and surrounded by plump, gorgeous blueberries. Trimarco’s prices are moderate to expensive. Appetizers run $4.75 to $8.95. Entrees are $8.75 to $24.95. Beer and wine are available.

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Trimarco Ristorante Italiano, 15267 Golden West St., Westminster, (714) 379-3111. Lunch 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and dinner 5-10 p.m. daily.