Best of all, it’s around the corner

Is it any wonder that once commuters emerge victorious from L.A.’s traffic pinball machine, not everybody is eager to get back in their cars and drive across town for dinner? At least not every night. That’s when the neighborhood restaurant comes into its own. Dinner close by, somewhere comforting? Not to have to drive anywhere has become the ultimate luxury.

Young chefs going out on their own are catching on to the idea. For their first restaurants, instead of locating in West Hollywood or Beverly Hills, where competition is fierce and rents even fiercer, the smart ones are considering neighborhoods like Playa del Rey, Venice, Los Feliz, Hollywood, Silver Lake or Monrovia, where it’s not only more affordable to open a restaurant, but the neighborhood is also likely to be wildly appreciative.

Blair’s is the latest to open in Silver Lake, on the same stretch of Rowena Avenue that already is home to Edendale Grill and a smattering of eclectic boutiques and shops. In the dark, it’s hard to spot. There’s no valet station out front; keep an eye out for the white Christmas lights draped over part of the facade, then park in the small lot across the street.

Owner Marshall Blair cooked with Michael Cimarusti at Water Grill, arguably the best seafood restaurant in all of Southern California, and hired Edwin Figueroa, 31, a former line chef at Water Grill, as his chef de cuisine, so it’s a team with some credibility. But don’t get too excited yet. Blair’s is not Water Grill. It’s a neighborhood place, not a destination restaurant.

Blair has wisely kept the menu short and simple, with about eight first courses and the same number of entrees. The style is hearty and heartier with dishes that zero in on hungry citizens’ comfort zones and don’t take many chances. You have your shrimp cocktail, your crab cakes, your plate of vegetables, your short ribs, your chicken and your creme brulee -- which may excite or disappoint, depending on your point of view. The prices seem to be pitch-perfect, moderate enough to attract a strong weekday crowd.

Laid-back but busy

The easygoing decor makes it more of an everyday place too. Blair has painted the walls a glowing persimmon color. The plain utilitarian bar is decorated only with a couple of empty picture frames, which could make a claim for boho chic. Actually, it’s hard to tell exactly what the bar looks like, because it’s always so mobbed with would-be diners who’ve dropped in hoping they’ll get lucky. I mean, of course, get a table. Without a reservation, it can be a long wait.

I always feel sorry for the couples who have opted for one of the tiny two-tops just inside the bar. As more and more people squeeze in the door, they’re surrounded -- and their plates are being ogled by whoever’s closest and hungriest.

The small dining room is that same inviting persimmon color, with dark-wood Venetian blinds at the windows and a bare-bones aesthetic. The one note of grace: two huge mirrors that seem to double the space, each with an industrial metal arm that holds a fat beeswax candle in the center.

With nothing to absorb the sound, the noise level is high. To give Blair credit, he’s trying to solve the problem. On my last visit, he’d installed a sound buffer in the back corners, but it was hard to notice a difference.

Caught up in the bonhomie and fun of a neighborhood hangout serving decent food, nobody seems to mind, really. Because Blair’s is happening. The place has caught on so quickly that weeknights are practically as crazy as weekends. The small kitchen is so slammed that the food comes out either all in a rush or after long waits. Sometimes, half the table gets its entrees and everybody else’s dishes show up 10 minutes later. I don’t think anybody counted on it being such a success.

I’m surprised, though, at how warm and accommodating the staff is, despite the fact that there’s barely room to move. I don’t know how he did it, but Blair has managed to hire an incredibly cheerful staff.

Still, you’d think that to keep people’s interest, Blair and Figueroa would have an occasional special or two. But except for the desserts, in the 3 1/2 months that Blair’s has been open, the menu has been pretty much written in stone. The fish used for a particular preparation may change, or the ingredients in a salad, but that’s about it.

The best dishes are simple and satisfying. What’s not to like about shrimp cocktail made with firm, meaty shrimp and a really pugnacious cocktail sauce with two deviled eggs for a retro treat? The crab cakes, which started out puny, have plumped up over time. Mostly crabmeat, with very little filler, they come with a smoky, roasted-pepper sauce that carries a backbeat of heat. Roasted beet salad with wisps of greens, creamy sliced avocado and a slice of warm Bucheron goat cheese is a distinct pleasure, and the Caesar is quite decent, but the Bosc pear and blue cheese salad with candied walnuts has become a cliche. The best thing you can say about it is that the arugula is perky.

It almost might have been better to leave bigeye tuna tartare off the menu: Water Grill’s version may be one of the best tuna tartares on the planet, so this one can’t help but disappoint. Partly, it’s the messy way it’s plated. But the taste isn’t as refined either. The quality of the tuna is good, though.

The kitchen produces a delicious risotto made with vegetable broth, wild mushrooms and pretty pale-green soybeans, so it can do double duty as a vegetarian entree. I also like the fettuccine sauced with peas, Parmesan and cream thinned with a little of that vegetable jus. Spaghetti with mussels in a spicy tomato sauce is dosed with way too much hot red pepper one night.

Fish is stronger here than in many a more expensive restaurant, and some of the ideas are interesting, but not always well-executed. The plating doesn’t help. I’ve enjoyed grilled king salmon strewn with pea shoots and paired with cauliflower sauteed in smoked paprika. A dill chimichurri sauce adds more green and a bright note to the flavors. Bigeye tuna is a delicious piece of fish; it comes with hominy and diced root vegetables roasted so long that they’re almost vegetable jerky.

Long on short ribs

Look around the room, though, and it’s short ribs, short ribs, short ribs. Cooked until they’re falling-off-the-bone tender, they get a lovely pomegranate glaze that gives them a deep mahogany color and a lush edge of sweetness. Now this is a fine supper: a bite of Swiss chard, a bite of polenta laced with Parmesan, and a bite of that rich, succulent meat. The surprise is the beef fillet. It’s not a cut I’d normally order, but this one has enough tooth and texture, and flavor too.

Blair’s has a smart little wine list divided simply into whites and reds, with whites outnumbering the reds, which is unusual. The whites range from a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to a Santa Ynez Roussanne and a German Riesling Spatlese. There’s also a nice list of beers, including a couple of Belgian ales and a nonalcoholic Bitburger.

Desserts might need some work. There’s a textbook creme brulee and a chocolate liquid cake that’s more a chocolate pudding. The pear-cranberry crisp disappears so fast, it leaves only an impression of sweetness. But the tarts have all had a tough, cookie-like crust, and the bread pudding has been glum.

Once the crowd in the dining room thins after 10 or 10:30, it becomes easier to talk, and more enjoyable. Settle back, have a French press espresso or a cup of African black tea. Hang out. The regulars creep back onto their bar stools, the cooks emerge from the kitchen for a nightcap at the bar. Blair’s is settling in.

*

Blair’s

Rating: * 1/2

Location: 2903 Rowena Ave., Silver Lake, (323) 660-1882.

Ambience: Lively neighborhood restaurant with a single (noisy) dining room, with walls painted a deep persimmon, plus a few tall tables for two in the crowded bar. Hearty food and moderate prices keep this Silver Lake newcomer on simmer.

Service: Sometimes a bit disorganized (not everybody’s dishes at the same table arrive at the same time), but warm and unflappable, despite the crowded quarters.

Price: Appetizers, $5 to $9; main courses, $14 to $28; desserts, $7.

Best dishes: Shrimp cocktail and curried deviled eggs, crab cakes, roasted beet and avocado salad, chicken with sauteed spinach, grilled king salmon, braised Colorado short ribs, pear cranberry crisp, vanilla bean creme brulee.

Wine list: A good little list that also includes a savvy selection of Belgian ales.

Best table: One of the two tables for four or six in the front window.

Details: Open Sunday through Thursday 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 5 to 11 p.m. Full bar. Street parking.

Rating is based on food, service and ambience, with price taken into account in relation to quality. ****: Outstanding on every level. ***: Excellent. **: Very good. *: Good. No star: Poor to satisfactory.