Publication Date: Friday Sep 10, 1999

Restaurant Review: Eat till you're blue in the vase

One hates to see a good restaurant close down. But the fact is that Mountain View needs another fine Italian place more than it does a Chinese restaurant. And with the newly opened Vaso Azzurro, the city has the makings of a great Italian spot. The restaurant still needs to work out a few kinks--it has been open only six weeks, after all--but the future is bright.

Vaso Azzurro takes over the high-profile spot on Castro Street, near the train crossing, that previously housed China Gourmet--an excellent Chinese restaurant that will be missed, especially by lemon-chicken lovers. Absolutely no traces of China Gourmet remain, as the folks at Vaso Azzurro (translation: the blue vase) have wasted no time in making the place their own.

The interior design is gorgeous. The walls are painted in a swirl of California-salmon-meets-Tuscany-gold brilliance. A few paintings, which range from a scene at a grand Italian opera house to an abstract work, give depth to the walls and lend contrast to the pink and orange. The place is uncluttered, immaculately clean but not sterile, and well-lit through windows and chic electric fixtures. Tables are twice covered in cloth: the bottom in white, the top in salmon. White cloth napkins dot each of the plate settings. Opera plays softly in the background.

The service is friendly and professional, although not yet fully clued in to what is going on in the kitchen. For instance, when a comment was made about the lemonade being very mild, our server did not know whether the drink included anything besides lemon juice and sugar. After checking with the kitchen, we were told it was just your basic lemonade. Later, another person came to our table to explain that too much ice had melted into the lemonade and made it watery. Our drinks were promptly replaced with tarter doses, but this is the type of minor problem the restaurant can be expected to solve in the next few months.

The antipasti list is short and weighted toward bivalve concoctions such as the moules a la marseillaise ($7.95), green-shell mussels sauteed with butter, garlic, shallots and tomatoes and sparked with brandy sauce. Since there was a shellfish entree on the horizon, we decided to go a different route for the appetizer. Auspicious move. The polenta con funghi portobello ($5.95) was a marvelously rich and generous portion of creamy polenta baked with gooey gorgonzola and parmesan cheese, topped with slices of portobello mushroom.

The insalata trevisana ($6.95) showed great promise but didn't quite measure up. The spinach, arugula and radicchio were fresh, but the chef was stingy with the precious gorgonzola cheese and caramelized walnuts. Another little sprinkle would have made all the difference.

The pasta dishes cover all the regular Northern Italian bases--from capellini al pomodoro fresco ($8.95) and gnocchi ($10.95) to linguine ($12.95) and spinach ravioli ($10.95).

Unfortunately, the pasta that touched down at our table was not the best Vaso Azzurro has to offer. The fettuccine azzurro--the namesake pasta of the house--sounded tempting, with a mixture of black mussels, tiger shrimp and bay scallops. But with that much crustacean and mollusk flavor, it needed something to counterbalance the taste of the sea. This flat-noodle entree promised flavors of garlic and saffron, but the predominant flavor was of ocean brine. More garlic--or perhaps a light cream sauce of some type--would have helped.

On the other hand, the risotto of the day was excellent. On our visit, the rice dish offered up lean chunks of white-meat chicken and slices of mushrooms, but most of the rich flavor came from the liberal dosing of cheese.

The pollo donatello ($11.95) was also excellent. A chicken breast nicely sauteed in a mixture of red wine, butter and marinara sauce was topped with thick slices of grilled eggplant and plenty of mozzarella cheese. My one complaint about the dish was that while the menu signaled it as "spicy," the advertised oomph never materialized.

To accompany meals, wines from Vaso Azzurro come mostly from Napa and Sonoma valley wineries, but there are also French and Italian options.

For dessert, the rococo ($4.95) is pure paradise for chocolate hounds. On the other hand, the frutti di bosco zabaglione ($4.50) gives the illusion of healthful eating, although the fresh berries are topped with a thick, marsala-doused whipped-yolk sauce. At least the airy zabaglione softens the loss of China Gourmet's lemon chicken.

Vaso Azzurro Ristorante, 108 Castro St., Mountain View, (650) 940-1717

Hours: 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mon-Sat.; 4:30-10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs.; 4:30-11 p.m. Fri. and Sat.

Atmosphere: Opera music, crisp linens and elegant salmon-and-gold-swirled walls lend the restaurant an intimate, romantic air. Outdoor dining allows for pleasant people-watching along Castro Street.

Highlights: Simple Northern Italian pastas are among the top offerings, with an emphasis on seafood combinations.

About the owner: The restaurant is the handiwork of three partners. Chef Metin Demirci and Gokmen Ekmekci both hail from Virginia. Fellow partner Muspo Sarac, with 30 years' experience in the restaurant business, manages the front of the house, Ekmekci is in charge of marketing and the restaurant's paper work; and chef Demirci brings 15 years' experience in French and Italian cuisine. Reservations - accepted Credit cards - yes Parking lot - yes Beer and wine only - yes Takeout - yes Banquet - no Wheelchair access - yes Highchairs - yes Outdoor seating - yes