Dine

Portobello Grill gets it right

This impressive entry in suburban Tampa is no stylish pretender. It serves up numerous steaks, but the best catch here is the seafood.

	[Times photos: Toni L. Sandys]
	A sampling of the menu at Portobello Grill, from top to bottom: pan-seared fois gras, trio of duck and lemongrass-crusted red snapper.
	Grand Marnier torte is one of the desserts offered at Portobello Grill and Wine Bar in northwest Hillsborough’s Westchase.
	Chef Robert Uzzillia worked in New York City before returning home to the bay area.

WESTCHASE - On suburbia's new frontiers, a chain Italian place or steakhouse is a lifesaver at the end of a commuter's day. Because of them, any "bistro" with butcher paper on the table, chef's coats on the servers, cool restrooms, cobalt lights and a menu that promises truffle oil seems a mirage.

With its wanna-be name, Portobello Grill and Wine Bar could be one more carefully decorated illusion of style pitched to a captive market willing to pay any price - more trend than taste.

It is not. Portobello, started a year ago by the folks who once gave St. Petersburg the Italian Pavilion, has more than the right look. It has great fish, fine vegetables and good sides, sharp service and a long list of wines costing less than $30. These are virtues that would stand out in any neighborhood, not to mention in the far corners of Pinellas and Hillsborough, that culinary prairie that spreads between East Lake and Carrollwood.

The first and chief attribute is the fish. As has become obvious, good fish is rarely the province of a "seafood restaurant" or any place with a water view. You're better off in landlocked Westchase. To find good fish, you must look instead for a restaurant of any stripe with a demanding chef who insists on good products.

At Portobello, the fish-savvy chef is Robert Uzzillia, a Clearwater lad who went off to the Culinary Institute of America, worked in New York City and returned to Armani's and then the Belleair Country Club.

He's the one finding good fish here, sometimes from Hawaii and occasionally local, such as hognose snapper, one of the best from our waters. It's served pepper-crusted with two nice-sized grilled shrimp and smoothly sauced with a lemon creambutter.

Even the much maligned (and overused) sea bass is here a perfect specimen, smartly executed: an inch-and-a-half thick, brilliantly crisp on top, moist white flakes within, topped with micro greens and sitting on spinach. Diver scallops are also perfectly done and generously portioned, a rarity in a world where $17 buys three scallops, if you're lucky. At Portobello, I got five (perhaps because I warned the server that I would challenge miserliness) that were big and succulent. Beyond seafood, Portobello offers numerous steaks, veal chops and a succulent duck.

Just as impressive were the sides, again the sign of a kitchen that cares. Risotto, virtually a guaranteed disappointment, achieved the seemingly impossible state of toothsome creaminess and was then recycled with saffron on a crisp cake, a perfect foil for seared foie gras and candied figs. But couscous touted as a mango version was dry.

Vegetables were julienned strips of squash and onions cooked lightly. Even the house salad was good and simple, a Caesar or greens and walnuts with a tart lemon dressing, a worthy house creation. The salads are included with the entree, a modest but welcome savings. The bread was good, but dessert, a ubiquitous chocolate lava cake, was dormant.

The service was a pleasant surprise. On my first visit, I lucked into a waiter who knew and understood the food and general dining graces, and on my second, a new hire had mastered most of the essentials required for top-dollar dining. The server also made up for one big flaw: drink prices.

Ironically, the wine list is smartly picked, with a number of my bargain favorites for less than $25. We need more of those. Bizarrely, by the glass, even the most modest wine costs $7 or more; we sure don't need many of those. But the espresso was worse - with pricey Illy coffee: Really? That's nice, but not worth $4.50 a cup anywhere this side of the Atlantic. The waiter agreed and gave us the coffee complimentarily.

On the big items and the big money, I have nary a quibble. This is the kind of cooking we ought to have within reach of every neighborhood. As it is, it's worth even a toll on the Veterans Expressway.

-- Chris Sherman dines anonymously and unannounced. The Times pays for all expenses. A restaurant's advertising has nothing to do with selection for a review or the assessment of its quality. He can be reached at 727 893-8585 or sherman@sptimes.com

12217 W Linebaugh Drive Tampa

(813) 814-9858

Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday; dinner, 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

Reservations: Recommended

Features: Full bar, wheelchair access, no smoking

Prices: Lunch, $5.50-$11; dinner, $14-$26 for entrees.

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