[Sidebar] July 19 - 26, 2001
[Food Reviews]
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Trattoria Simpatico

Fun in the tropics

by Johnette Rodriguez

(401) 423-3731, 13 Narragansett Ave., Jamestown
Lunch served Fri-Sun & Mon, noon to 4 p.m., dinner daily, 5-10 p.m.
Major credit cards
Handicapped access

It could scarcely look more like Key West if it tried. Under huge beech and maple trees, the outdoor dining area at Trattoria Simpatico is lushly green, with the natural theme carried through by the green wood of the bar and the green picket fence of the impatiens bed along the street side. There are white awnings festooned with ivory, green, and lavender organza; white lattice-backed bar stools, with watermelons in the fabric of the seat cushions; tiny white lights dangling on the fence and inside the awning; and even imitation palm fronds above the bar -- you get the picture.

This scene cries out for frozen daiquiris and margaritas -- which are readily forthcoming from the attentive staff. Bill opted for wine during our visit, however, and thoroughly enjoyed the Australian vintages he sampled.

Perhaps it was reminiscences of our sunny days in the Keys that led us to these appetizer choices: grilled chicken satay ($8.95) for Bill, and Phyllis's panzanella ($8.95) for me. The former had cilantro and lime rubbed into the chicken pieces before they were smothered in a spicy peanut sauce. The cucumber salad accompanying the satay didn't have enough bite to accent the chicken, but the red pepper drizzles on the plate certainly did -- unlike most such decorative touches, these were not sweet, but hot, red peppers.

The panzanella was a treat, with diced red and yellow sweet peppers, red onions, tomato chunks, cuke slices, Kalamata olives, and large bread cubes soaked in the balsamic and olive oil dressing. Capers and fresh basil turned up the volume on this delicious salad.

Entree decisions were quite a bit trickier for this indecisive duo. Should it be chef Cliff Dimon's polenta-crusted pork loin with chipotle-roasted sweet potato and black bean salsa for Bill? The pan-seared tuna with sesame and an orange basil sauce for me? Or one of the half-dozen pastas, including lobster risotto and goat cheese ravioli?

In the end, Bill was hooked by the sea scallops over buckwheat tagliatelle ($19.95). Perhaps it was the baby arugula tossed with the pasta or the three-mustard cream sauce that caught his eye. Whatever the lure, he was glad to take the bait and exclaimed his enjoyment between every mouthful.

I was also enamored of my entree: panko-crusted roasted salmon ($19.95), a substantial portion atop two wedges of grilled polenta and surrounded by a four-lentil salad with lovely cumin shadings and a pile of fresh baby greens. One tiny suggestion: it's trickier with lentils than other dried beans to strike a happy medium between under-done and over-done, but I, for one, wish that chefs would cook them just until the skins soften slightly.

The desserts at Trattoria Simpatico, many of them house-made, are quite enticing. From the eight possibilities ($5.95-$7.95), the strawberry shortcake with vanilla gelato, the white and dark chocolate mousse, and the fudge coconut Napoleon called to me, though Napoleon had the loudest voice. As promised, this was a fudge brownie layered with coconut gelato, and it was scrumptious, the brownie crisp on the outside, moist on the inside, cooled by the gelato. The only curiosity was that neither of us could detect any coconut flavor. It was dreamy, nonetheless.

This is proprietor Phyllis Bedard's ninth summer in Jamestown. Year-round, the indoor restaurant seats 40 people in non-smoking, and 35 more in a large glassed-in porch with a bar. Last year, Bedard received a local garden club award for the patio, and indeed the spot is welcoming, not only for its beauty, but for its informality. There's also live jazz Mondays through Thursdays, from 7 to 10 p.m., and Sundays, from 3 to 6 p.m. Dogs and children felt right at home the evening we were there, although I was wishing that men with cigars didn't.

But there were far too many things that made me mellow out at Trattoria Simpatico to fret about that -- did I mention my view of the sailboats in Jamestown harbor? The live music? The aroma of nearby blossoms? The boys on bikes zooming by, one holding a cup of ice cream in his teeth? Quintessential summer -- don't miss it.

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