Caper crazy at Saffron

Last year, Christopher Dever, the chef and owner of Saffron in Glen Ellen, went to replace water-damaged boards in his funky frame restaurant, which had housed many incarnations of restaurants, delis, breakfast joints and plant shops before he took it over in 2000.

The news wasn’t good. He basically had to rebuild the place, with a new foundation, new facade, new walls, new flooring (made of cork) — but the same little kitchen from which he turns out dishes he hopes will be worthy of his food-savvy clientele. He uses organic ingredients whenever possible. He chooses crowd-pleasing dishes like his signature paella. And he thinks that the liberal use of capers will somehow add a culinary gloss to his creations.

Capers are little, pickled, salty, acidic flower buds of the caper bush, Capparis spinosa. The genus name, Capparis, is thought to be derived through Greek from the name Cyprus, the Mediterranean island where capers grow wild in abundance and the Greeks and Turks are still fighting the Trojan War. Used very sparingly, they may add an occasional intense burst of vinegar to fish, onions or tomatoes. Used in profusion, they become a gustatory minefield, each bite exploding with enough sour force to destroy any hint of subtlety in the dish in which they are laid.

Take the Roasted Halibut ($21 ), for instance. Here’s a nice piece of Alaskan halibut seared a little too hard and paired with a winter squash hash and braised chard, but larded over with two to three tablespoons of capers! Halibut is the most delicate of fish, white and flaky, low fat, with an elusive flavor. Covered in capers, it tastes like capers.

Grilled Flatiron Steak ($18 ) consisted of several thin slices of this newly popular cut of beef, taken from the shoulder and once known as a top blade steak. It has superior flavor and benefits from a long soak in a good marinade to soften and flavor it. These pieces weren’t marinated and were subsequently a little tough, but nothing to complain about. We asked for ours medium rare, because flatiron steak suffers when it’s cooked too much, and it arrived medium to medium-well, but again, nothing to complain about. That’s because all the complaints were reserved for the capers spread across the meat, which drowned the flavor of beef in pickle juice.

Our table also ordered the Kobe Beef Burger ($12 ), a wonderful patty of succulent ground beef topped with Serrano ham, paired with pimentos and manchego cheese and olive tapenade, and served with sprouts dressed in vinaigrette, roasted red peppers, onions and tempura vegetables. It would have been so perfect if not for the helping of capers spooned over the burger.

Somewhere there must be people who enjoy capers on beef. I think Pliny the Elder wrote about them, along with three-eyed people with horns and flute girls the size of rabbits. But they are all creatures of fable. Chris, step away from the caper jar.

And lo, other than these three dishes, no more capers.

The re-do of the building is hugely successful. There’s now an area for the wait staff and their equipment. The look is clean and pretty. And a fish tank with a gaudy lionfish draws the eye to the center of the room. Lionfish are a predatory fish that escaped during a 1992 hurricane in Florida into the waters off the East Coast of the U.S. and, according to CBS News, “scientists now fear the invaders may eat through every last inch of the Atlantic Coast.” They also have a dangerous neurotoxin in their many spines. The presence of this little invader a few feet away as dinner is served gives one a moment’s pause.

The wine list, which you can see at Saffron’s Web site, has some gems. A 2003 Scherrer Zinfandel was reaching something of a peak, with its luscious fruit still intact, but its tannins tamed and its texture smooth as silk. You’re sure to find something to like on the list. Service was snappy and helpful, but not terribly haute, which suits the casual ambiance of Glen Ellen just right.

Among the appetizers was Fried Green Tomatoes ($8 ½), consisting of three round slices of tomato breaded and fried in a little oil, then drizzled with a spicy aioli. The tomato theme continued with a simple appetizer of slices of Heirloom Tomatoes ($8 ½), also drizzled, this time with crème fraiche, and accompanied by cold crispy shallots that would have been better served hot.

People who fish for freshwater trout know that the little morsels of the cheeks are the sweetest and best meat. So it’s understandable that Halibut Cheeks ($11 ) might be good, too. But, even though breaded and fried, they are unpleasantly stringy and chewy. They are served with a tangy roasted bell pepper puree.

Butternut Squash Soup ($6 ) was an anomalous bowl of thin soup, made with a delicious savory stock base, very spicy, and garnished with a crouton of toasted Italian bread. Not much butternut squash flavor, though.

Chef Dever’s Paella ($22 ) has traditional ingredients for this classic Spanish dish, but they are handled in his unique way. The centerpiece of the dish is the split tail of a langoustine, also known as Norway lobster, Dublin Bay prawn, or scampi in Italy. In the very center of the plate, the cooked head and carapace sit upright. The tail meat is tender and exquisite, and you’ll find that the head is stuffed with saffron rice and peas. More saffron rice mixed with peas, yellow bell pepper dice, sausage, mussels, cherrystone clams and tomatoes complete the paella. No chicken, rabbit, duck, or snails, though — additions that are frequently found in paellas along with a variety of beans and greens. There is no one correct way to make paella, although usually it’s made in a shallow, two-handled pan called a paellera and is brimming with food. Saffron’s is a paella for one person, served in a dish.

Pork Ossobuco ($16 ) was the hit of the evening, even if it was made from pork instead of the typical veal shank. It was given a sprinkling of gremolata — a mixture of garlic, parsley and lemon zest that effortlessly lifts the heavy flavor of the meat. It’s served with meat jus, chard and cranberry beans to make a great fall dinner.

Desserts were excellent. An Apple Cranberry Fruit Crisp ($7 ) combined sweet apple and chewy dried cranberries in a crunchy crispy crust and topped it with vanilla gelato. Valrhona Chocolate Bread Pudding ($7 ) was crunchy on the edges and lusciously chocolaty in the middle. It was drizzled with chocolate sauce and given a scoop of vanilla gelato. Yum.

To sum up: An interesting little restaurant that tries a little too hard but sometimes succeeds.

Jeff Cox writes a weekly restaurant review for the Sonoma Living section. He can be reached at jeffcox@sonic.net.