HOT TOMATO NEW ON THE VINE.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic How hot is the new Hot Tomato? Medium to tepid, I'd say. The Hot Tomato is the new name of the Santa Susana Grill, a nice- looking, tiered dining room in the former Chatsworth Hotel, now a member of the Radisson Hotel chain. In an area on North Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Chatsworth that's not particularly rife with the type of restaurant that suits a serious business lunch or a special occasion dinner, it would have been great to find an impressive, consistent kitchen. But despite its good looks, the Hot Tomato seems to fall into the same category as its predecessor, for the most part a purveyor (World-Wide Web) Purveyor - A World-Wide Web server for Windows NT and Windows 95 (when available). http://process.com/. E-mail: <info@process.com>. of fairly standard, unexciting food. Surprisingly, though, the soups are pretty good. At least, they were one evening recently, especially a Tuscan-style ($4.25) soup made with cabbage, potatoes, spicy sausage and a creamy broth. Even the house minestrone (also $4.25) turned out better than expected. Usually, when the soups exceed expectations in a restaurant, so does the rest of the fare. Don't bank on that theory here. During a midweek visit to the Hot Tomato, the skimpy skimp·y adj. skimp·i·er, skimp·i·est 1. Inadequate, as in size or fullness, especially through economizing or stinting: a skimpy meal. 2. Unduly thrifty; niggardly. appetizer serving of mussels ($7.95) promised in a wine and garlic butter sauce possessed almost no mussels deemed edible, and the sauce was mysteriously tart and vinegary. Also, bruschetta bruschetta Noun an Italian open sandwich of toasted bread topped with olive oil and tomatoes, olives, etc [Italian] ($5.95), indicated on the menu as bread topped with tomatoes and 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, tossed with basil and olive oil, was the other extreme. Instead of practically nothing to eat, here was a huge serving of four thick slices of bread topped with chunks of cheese and tomato. Sadly, though, they were noticeably lacking basil and olive oil or any other flavor enhancers. There are some encouragements. One dinner here contained a reasonably good spinach and pancetta pan·cet·ta n. Italian bacon that has been cured in salt and spices and then air-dried. [Italian, diminutive of pancia, belly, from Latin pantex, pantic-.] (Italian bacon) salad ($7.95). And the Hot Tomato's 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 ($17.95), titled bistecca alla rustica, came up thick, juicy and cooked exactly as ordered. As for other recommended entree dishes out of the kitchen, it appears that diners would be safe with the breast of chicken options, one sauteed in a weak Marsala wine sauce with mushrooms and garlic ($11.95), the other cooked ``scampi'' style with bell peppers, onions and roasted garlic. Veal is a toss-up. Vitello scaloppine sca·lop·pi·ne also sca·lop·pi·ni n. Small, thinly sliced pieces of meat, especially veal, dredged in flour, sautéed, and served in a sauce. [Italian, pl. with lemon and capers CAPERS. Vessels of war owned by private persons, and different from ordinary privateers (q.v.) only in size, being smaller. Bea. Lex. Mer. 230. ($14.95) had a thin, dry piece of veal, though the basic preparation seemed fine. Ravioli stuffed with a minced portobello por·to·bel·lo or por·ta·bel·la or por·to·bel·la n. pl. por·to·bel·los or por·ta·bel·las A mature, very large cremini mushroom. [Origin unknown.] mushroom mixture ($11.95) in a creamy sun-dried tomato and smoked cheese sauce suffered from a heavy, pasty quality one day. The description, sorry to say, sounded a lot better than the actual dish served up. As for endings ($5.75 each), pass up the skinny wedge of below-par cheesecake or the tired tiramisu tir·a·mi·su n. A dessert of cake infused with a liquid such as coffee or rum, layered with a rich cheese filling, and topped with grated chocolate. and go for the moist, intense chocolate cake ($5.75). It's very good. Service is spotty at this new restaurant. One night a young, knowledgeable and attentive waiter made a possibly ordinary evening of dining out rather special. Another time there was enthusiasm from the server, but obvious inexperience. The Hot Tomato is a bit green right now. Given time, it may ripen rip·en tr. & intr.v. rip·ened, rip·en·ing, rip·ens To make or become ripe or riper; mature. See Synonyms at mature. rip and improve. HOT TOMATO Where: Radisson Hotel, 9777 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Chatsworth. When: Open for breakfast from 6 to 10 a.m. daily, for lunch from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily and dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. nightly, to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Recommended items: Zuppa Toscana, minestrone, spinach and bacon salad, breast of chicken ``scampi'' or Marsala style, New York steak, chocolate cake. Also: Children's menu: regular menu items available at reduced size and price. How much: Starters from $4.25 to $9, entrees and pastas from $11 to $19, desserts $5.75 each. Full bar. All major credit cards. Wine list: Limited to 28 labels ($14 to $195), half of them under $20, none with vintage dates. Nearly all available by the glass ($4.50 to $6.25). Best buy: Banfi's 1998 Col di Sasso sangiovese-cabernet blend at $16. 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 : $2. Reservations: Helpful. Call (818) 709-7054. Our rating: Two and one half stars for food; Two and one half stars for service; two stars for wine. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Hot Tomato general manager Raed Alshaibi, left, and chef Gustavo Gadea serve up Tuscan-inspired entrees. The hearty soups make it worth a visit to the Chatsworth restaurant. (2) The Salmone alla Limone is nicely presented at Hot Tomato. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion