Uneven performance from longtime star

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

Corydon Avenue mainstay La Scala hits some high notes, but doesn't earn a standing ovation.

La Scala was one of the first of a wave of upscale restaurants on Corydon, and almost 20 years later, despite the greater number of competitors, it is still going strong. Of the original staff, only the owner remains, and these days he does the cooking. It's the kind of cooking that was rare when La Scala started out, but now is found in myriad establishments -- mostly Italian (often with international twists), with the occasional nod to France, and several more nods to Asia, as well as other parts of the map. Eclectic, and/or fusion, I suppose, comes closest to describing it,

The ambience is casual, but you can combine culture with cuisine here -- one of the restaurant's attractions is the collection of Tony Tascona prints that lines the walls. Other parts of the decor in this cosy subterranean place are the mirrored wall at the deep end of the room, creating the illusion of greater space, and a fascinating fish tank, with denizens that changed my misconceptions about the placid nature of fish -- the nasty aggressiveness of some makes for compelling viewing. There's also a nice little sidewalk patio, open for as long as the weather holds.

The tiny open kitchen that you pass on your way in -- down the stairs and just inside the entrance -- seems to be a one-man operation; at least it was on my visits. The same was true of the staff -- a single server only, who was simultaneously friendly and neglectful. The neglect might have been understandable (if not forgivable) on one busy night, less understandable and not in the least forgivable in a small and nearly empty restaurant on another night.

As today's menus go, this one is relatively short. There are only six appetizers, and unfortunately the two I tried were disappointing, both with the same disqualifying flaw -- the use of harsh-tasting raw chunks of garlic. They overwhelmed the restaurant's signature starter, for instance -- potsticker-like dumplings in an otherwise OK chili cream sauce, but already handicapped as well by a tired-tasting pork filling ($12). They were equally unpleasant scattered over shrimp provençale -- good shrimp, but further hamstrung by a wine sauce that was thin in both texture and flavour ($15). The other starters are mussels steamed with sambuca; baked portobellos stuffed with Cambozola, roasted veggies and spicy eggplant; jerk chicken tenders; and bruschetta.

We had better luck with the pastas ($18 to $25). All I tried were good, the best among them, possibly, linguini with tiger prawns and smoked salmon in a luscious cream sauce spiked with Pernod, enhanced by hints of thyme and red onions. I also liked the penne arrabbiata in a piquant tomato sauce, although my own taste would have preferred fennel-flavoured Italian sausage instead of the thin, nicely spicy but rather tough slices of chorizo.

My own taste also wanted a serious sprinkling of Parmesan, which we had trouble getting, mainly because we had trouble getting our server's attention. We finally did, and once the cheese was added, the dish came to life.

There are also a few vegetarian options, including the pleasantly zingy, ultra-thin capellini, sauced with spicy eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese.

Entree prices range from $25 to $30, and if I had to pick one single dish to come back for, it might be the grilled veal scallopini -- tender, moist and flavourful, cooked with mushrooms and finished with a red wine demi glace. At least it's what I'd come back for if I could be sure of getting it hot instead of lukewarm, as ours was.

Other entrees did come piping hot, and two at least were completely satisfying: a mixed seafood grill, for instance, composed of salmon, scallops and shrimp in a mild garlic butter (no chunks of raw garlic in this one); or pork tenderloin encrusted with crushed cashews, pan roasted to juicy tenderness, finished with a port wine glaze and paired with a lovely pear chutney.

The lamb shank osso bucco came hot, too, and was also tender but bland, in a tomato sauce that lacked depth and character. A mixture of vegetables -- among them carrots, little broccoli florets, and a few long fingers of potatoes -- were simply but nicely prepared.

Among the other pasta possibilities are fettuccini in a sweet coconut curry sauce, with or without chicken; tagliatelle with mixed seafood; capellini with either tomato sauce and shrimp or Thai chicken and cashews. Other entrees include a rib-eye steak with a ginger-black bean sauce; chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese, prosciutto, roasted red peppers and spinach; cioppino seafood soup with mussels, scallops, salmon and shrimp in sambuca-spiked broth (also available in a smaller, starter size); and salmon fillet in grainy mustard cream.

There aren't many desserts to choose from, but the luscious chocolate torte should satisfy any sweet tooth. On one visit, there was only one, a pleasant chocolate pecan pie. The wine list isn't extensive, but does offer a few decent choices by the glass, and by half-litre carafes.

marion.warhaft@freepress.mb.ca

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Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 16, 2011 D4