Font ResizeVisit after visit, I'd witnessed Momberg absorb chef-owner Rino Di Giavincenzo's ravings with aplomb. He'd skate from table to kitchen to table, soothing diners and single-handedly, it seems, keep Villagio from complete meltdown (I waited an hour for entrees more than once).
Di Giavincenzo's rustic Italian cooking was fantastic — worth the wait — but my sadness at Villagio's closing this summer was softened when I learned Momberg had recently returned from an extended trip to his native Chile and was reopening the space with a new chef.
The Patio is a smart restaurant, tapping the tapas trend naturally through the owners' South American heritage (chef Marcelo Abusada came to the U.S. from Peru six years ago).
Abusada's cooking is authentic but not rigid. Take Causa ($10), a classic Peruvian dish. Abusada mashes potatoes with olive oil and aji amarillo — a flavorful Peruvian yellow pepper. But rather than serving it traditionally with tuna or chicken, Abusada layers the potatoes with crab meat — a California favorite. The sauce, a puree of mayonnaise and botija olives from Peru, is artfully drizzled on top, and the hard-boiled eggs are tucked inside rather than staring up at you.
At first, this dish left
Aside from the potato, ceviche might be Peru's greatest gift to the kitchen. Abusada's version ($9) calls for tossing thin slices of sole in salt, pepper and lime when he gets an order — the traditional Peruvian technique, he says. "When the server takes it to the table, it's already cooked," says Abusada.
I would vote for a longer bath, but this sashimi approach is certainly refreshing, with lime so powerful that the fish only registers as texture — just like the toasted corn kernels (the original CornNut!) sprinkled on as a crunchy garnish. I would order this again, seaside, on a hot afternoon, with a bottle of Pilsen (Peruvian beer, $4.50), but in December eyes drift to the 12 dishes listed under the Hot Tapas section (there are five cold tapas on offer).
Cheese empanadas ($7) are always available, while a special version — currently shrimp ($8) — comes and goes. Abusada says that Chile is the king of empanadas, so he deferred to his father-in-law for the pastry recipe (Abusada met his Chilean wife in America). You can't go wrong with deep-fried dough stuffed with Monterey Jack cheese, but the texture might be more compelling if the turnovers were baked or pan-fried. (Abusada does use a non-trans-fat oil.)
Whereas chef Judy Rodgers of Zuni in San Francisco has attracted a following for lightly pre-salting all her meats, Abusada could start a trend with his marinade of olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and dark Peruvian beer — he puts it on everything, and the depth of flavor in his fish and meats attests to a good technique.
The marinade is the seasoning for a skewer of well-grilled mushrooms ($6), while a touch of brandy and a sprinkling of cheese is the only further addition for Conchitas a la Parmesana ($10) — a crusty, sweet scallop dish baked in the shell.
One or two more tapas, perhaps Croquetas de Mariscos (mussel-and-crab cakes, $9), or Anticuchos de Carne y Chorizo (meat and chorizo skewer, $11) and my companion and I would have been happily full, but we were curious about the four Segundos.
Cheap, flaky and clean-tasting, tilapia has become the fish of choice for many restaurants. Infused with Abusada's flavorful marinade, floured and fried, the tilapia in Pescado a lo Macho ($16) was outstanding. A sauce, made with homemade fish stock, garlic and Abusada's favorite paste — aji panca (a reddish Peruvian chile), was particularly tasty. An assortment of accompanying shellfish was tenderly cooked — unlike the desiccated seafood in the Jaleas I recently tried at two East Bay Peruvian restaurants.
I thought I might avoid being recognized, or at least avoid special attention, by dining at 7 p.m., but on this Saturday after Thanksgiving, all of Lafayette seemed to have been eating turkey sandwiches. We were the only table in the place. Still, it's obvious that Abusada has a good palate and skills to match. I haven't watched him on a busy night, but I bet the food is every bit as good.
It's best, however, to put any preconceived notions on hold at the Patio. Abusada's Paella de Mariscos ($17) is spiced with chile paste rather than saffron. And the chimichurri sauce served with the rib-eye steak ($18) is more of an onion salsa than a vinaigrette. But it's all good.
Half of the Patio's seating is, as you might guess, on the patio — more likely than not to be much too chilly for dining (heat lamps are on the way). Painted blood-orange, the dining room has a clubby, Latin feel. It will feel even sexier once the Patio's liquor license clears early next year. Already available is a small, enticing list of Chilean and Argentine wines and beers.
Momberg and Abusada are more pros than partiers, however. Both are new fathers, explaining perhaps why it's a dinner-only restaurant.
But even with a tiny tyke keeping him awake, Momberg has a crisp sensitivity rarely found in suburban restaurants. With the steady Abusada in charge of the kitchen, the Patio is much calmer than it ever was at Villagio.
I hope that doesn't throw Momberg off his game.
Reach Nicholas Boer at (925) 943-8254.
