Columnist Muriel Stevens: Barbarella (the restaurant) a real hit

Friday, Sept. 1, 2000 | 10:40 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' dining column appears Fridays. Her shopping column appears Wednesdays. Reach her at muriel@lasvegassun.com or 259-4080.

It was sheer luck that before departing for a week in San Diego I learned about a terrific new restaurant in La Jolla, Calif., Barbarella. It was Joseph Keller, chef/owner of Josef's Brasserie at Desert Passage (hoping to open this weekend) who told me about the eatery when he learned I was going to La Jolla, saying "Look up my friend, Joshua Schwartz, he's the executive chef."

So my traveling companion and I added Barbarella to the growing list of restaurants we had culled from San Diego magazine's recent restaurant edition, but we never used the list, preferring instead to revisit some favorites from past visits, except for Barbarella.

Our first meal at Barbarella was lunch. We arrived early enough to get a shaded table on the patio. A light breeze wafted through making it very pleasant. Within minutes after our arrival every table, inside and out was occupied, always a good sign that we had chosen well.

Barbarella won our hearts with the first bite of the crusty artisan bread that arrived even before we had placed our order. It was taking us a while to decide, the menu (which changes daily) was so appealing.

We watched as gorgeous meal-sized salads and huge sandwiches on homemade buns went by -- "My Nana's braised brisket" on an onion roll was a mile high. But the salads being served at the table next to ours looked wonderful, so that was one of our choices. We also chose the special pizza topped with fontina cheese, one of Italy's great cheeses, a light pesto and truffle oil. Glasses of freshly made lemonade were a wonderful accompaniment.

The fresh salmon salad was glorious, the greens perfection. The crisp crust of the pizza was made from the bread dough. We later learned that Barbarella owner Barbara Beltaire had spent many years abroad studying the culinary arts. The bread recipe was from her family who are all passionate cooks. Barbarella's kitchen is small, with little space for a large dough mixer, so the dough is mixed at a local bakery and is baked at the restaurant throughout the day. It's these extra efforts that makes Barbarella special.

By now we were ready to meet Chef Joshua, but Joshua was elbow-deep in cooking and in making a fresh fig preserve from a recipe given to him by Beltaire's grandmother. However, we were content to sip our lemonade and wait. Somehow I sensed that the attractive California-stylish blonde bustling around the restaurant was the owner. She was.

I complimented her on the impact she had made on La Jolla's dining scene in just five months.

"I serve real food," she said. "Nothing pretentious, just the best quality products, and excellent chefs to cook it." To fully understand this concept, think about the the food served in bistros of France or the trattorias of Italy, where the simplest dishes are memorable.

By this time Chef Joshua had come to the table. Young, talented and creative, his cooking reflects his time spent as sous chef at Napa's French Laundry and Bouchon. Like Beltaire, his interest in food is as passionate as a torrid love affair. In the kitchen with the chef are Jimmy Lewis, formerly with Terra in Napa, and Ernie Lapen, from Farallon in San Francisco. Great team.

We completed our lunch with a crepe for two filled with fig preserves, still warm. A dollop of heavy cream its only adornment. We savored every delectable forkful. If lunch was this good, we knew we had to return for dinner the next night. Before making our reservation Beltaire and Joshua gave us a "tour" of the organic gardens. One fills a car-sized space in the back parking lot; the other surrounds a lamp post in the front of the restaurant. Mixed in with huge sunflowers and other posies are herbs and vegetables -- the corn "crop" had just been picked. I love this kind of benevolent lunacy.

At dinner we were three (one a vegetarian), so we could order more dishes. Each day at lunch and dinner there is a different fritti (Italian mixed fry) that arrives crisp and hot in a tall cone-shaped server. On the side for dipping is aioli, a garlicky mayonnaise. We contentedly munched on batter-dipped, deep-fried asparagus and oysters while studying the menu.

Here's what we ordered: salad caprese, fresh buffalo mozzarella, basil and ripe tomatoes; gazpacho made with heirloom tomatoes; sauteed broccoli rabe (leafy Italian broccoli) with buffalo mozzarella, toasted garlic and olives; penne pasta with a garden pesto and vegetables; steak frites, a grilled steak with garlic butter and pomme frites; and an "Earth Stone" roasted whole fish.

Before and with dinner two of us drank Barbarella's signature Bellinis, tall flutes of champagne and white peach puree. Unorthodox with dinner? Yes, but utterly delicious. One of us chose a Barbarella martini served in a distinctive martini glass. Each martini glass is different and each design is beautiful.

There are many more artistic statements throughout the restaurant. It's an enchanting, earthy place.

Would Beltaire consider another location? Perhaps Las Vegas?

"No, this is my home, this is my dream," he said. "I'm here more than anywhere else." I guess I'll have to be more there, too, to once again experience this delightful restaurant.

Barbarella can be found at 2171 Avenida De La Playa. Dress is casual; the food is serious. Unless you dine early, reservations are a must. Call (858) 454-7373.

Teatime at the Antique Mall: Opening Monday is the Antique Cafe & Tea Room, inside the Sampler Shoppes at Tropicana Avenue and Jones Boulevard. Owned by two charming Englishwomen who are fulfilling a lifelong dream, it promises to be a success for the owners and tea enthusiasts. Time and circumstances caused the friends to drift apart, but life changes brought Kathleen Jones and Caroline Guagliano together again.

The tea room will be open everyday serving lunch and afternoon tea. On Saturdays and Sundays there will a "Mary Poppins" tea and fairy tale session with Kathleen, who sings as well as tells stories.

I've already tasted a homemade scone (Kathleen is the baker) and a cup of tea, both loverly. For more information call 251-7550.