GITANA OFFERS FINE PLACE TO PARTY.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic Gitana is an ambitious venture. The sprawling new sports bar/billiard room/night club/restaurant/cigar lounge in the heart of downtown Burbank's Media Center area draws big sports-loving crowds for Monday and Thursday night football and packs 'em in on weekends when the good-time seekers flock into the club. This produces a fair amount of spillage into the restaurant, a no-frills spacious room that resembles a commissary COMMISSARY. An officer whose principal duties are to supply the army with provisions. 2. The Act of April 14, 1818, s. 6, requires that the president, by and with the consent of the senate, shall appoint a commissary general with the rank, pay, and emoluments . It was filled with local business employees in their roles as Christmas party celebrants one afternoon during the pre-holiday season. Tables were pushed together to form long rectangular arrangements for the business party groups. This caused the room to look even more like an industrial food service facility than usual. The positive side was that everyone appeared to be having a good time. Early in the week at an evening visit, the somewhat cavernous cavernous /cav·er·nous/ (kav´er-nus) 1. pertaining to a hollow, or containing hollow spaces. 2. having a hollow sound, such as certain abnormal breath sounds. dining room was almost empty, producing exactly the opposite effect. But during both visits it was apparent that the staff went out of its way to please. The big, open kitchen may not be the greatest one in town, but it seems to effectively satisfy its customers. The simple menu of pizzas, pastas, appetizers, salads, sandwiches and five specialty entrees lists familiar, safe dishes. But, for the most part, they appear to be respectable efforts. The Ligurian-style Ligurian is pizza ($9.95) with a topping of basil pesto and tomato sauce, light mozzarella moz·za·rel·la n. A mild white Italian cheese that has a rubbery texture and is often eaten melted, as on pizza. [Italian, diminutive of mozza, a cut, mozzarella, from mozzare, , kalamata olives, a fair sampling of shrimp and roma tomatoes on a fresh-tasting crust of medium thickness is a worthwhile rendition. The kitchen's calamari fritti ($7.95) offered a decent balance of crunch, freshness and lack of oiliness plus reasonable flavor. It was certainly portioned large enough to share. From the salad category, the spinach, chicken and gorgonzola mixture ($8.95) achieved recommendable status with its moist strips of grilled white chicken meat, refreshingly crisp spinach leaves, crunchy and firm cubes of freshly grilled zucchini and yellow squash, wedges of purple onion and a scattering of small mushrooms. The only fault was a minuscule amount of mustard vinaigrette dressing, which, I suppose, is better than an overwhelming drowning. Main dishes have ranged from agreeable to surprisingly good. Probably the least effective was the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of steak ($16.95), a barely passable pass·a·ble adj. 1. That can be passed, traversed, or crossed; navigable: a passable road. 2. Acceptable for general circulation: passable currency. 3. slab of somewhat gristly gris·tly adj. gris·tli·er, gris·tli·est 1. Composed of or containing gristle. 2. Resembling gristle. gris beef, noticeably cooked correctly as ordered. On the other hand, roasted striped sea bass ($14.95), requested slightly undercooked, arrived in perfect form - flaky flaky - (Or "flakey") Subject to frequent lossage. This use is of course related to the common slang use of the word to describe a person as eccentric, crazy, or just unreliable. , moist, easy to separate from its skin and accompanied by several thick slices of tasty braised braise tr.v. braised, brais·ing, brais·es To cook (meat or vegetables) by browning in fat, then simmering in a small quantity of liquid in a covered container. fennel fennel, common name for several perennial herbs, genus Foeniculum vulgare of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family), related to dill. The strawlike foliage and the seeds are licorice-scented and are used (especially in Italian cooking) for flavoring. and a handful of firm green spears of thin asparagus. Also well received were grilled, center-cut pork chops ($14.95), nicely juicy and accompanied by small pieces of tasty roasted potato and sweetish braised onions. The same potato selection also was served with the grilled chicken breast recipe ($11.95), skillfully enhanced with mixed herbs and paired with a trio of savory ingredients. They consisted of asparagus and onions plus a subtly seasoned, roasted half-tomato. The orrechiette (ear-shaped pasta) with pieces of tender, grilled Atlantic salmon Atlantic salmon Oceanic trout species (Salmo salar), a highly prized game fish. It averages about 12 lbs (5.5 kg) and is marked with round or cross-shaped spots. Found on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, it enters streams in the fall to spawn. , broccoli florets, garlic, tomato and a smartly understated lemon sauce ($11.95), indicated that Gitana's kitchen staff knows how to work proficiently within its chosen boundaries. Even a dessert pick of warmed pecan pie ($4.95) - better than the house chocolate cake ($5.95) - exceeded expectations. Now, if only the dining room had a little more warmth. The restaurant: Gitana. Where: 260 E. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank. When: Open for lumch, dinner and snacks from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Recommended items: Pizza, calamari fritti, spinach and gorgonzola chicken salad, roasted striped sea bass, orrechiette pasta with salmon, grilled herbed herbed adj. Flavored with herbs: herbed vinaigrette. breast of chicken, grilled pork chops, pecan pie. How much: Starters from $4.75 to $11, pastas and entrees from $8 to $17, desserts $5 and $6. Full bar. All major credit cards. Wine list: No bargains here. Four-page, fairly well-rounded selection lists a few vintages and prices some wines by the glass to pretty much cover the restaurant's cost of the whole bottle. Only Haywood's wines (a fairly reliable inexpensive label) and one Chilean white carry under-$20 tabs. Corkage cork·age n. A charge exacted at a restaurant for every bottle of liquor served that was not bought on the premises. corkage Noun a charge made at a restaurant for serving wine bought elsewhere : $7. Reservations: Suggested. Call (818) 846-4400. Our rating: Three stars for food; three stars for service; two stars for wine CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Chef Alex Gonzales bakes a pizza in the brick oven at Gitana in downtown Burbank. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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